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Comparison of Emergency Transport Times Affected by Road Closures Under Normal Conditions and During an Earthquake Disaster

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 August 2025

Ayana Imatani Open the ORCID record for Ayana Imatani [Opens in a new window] ,
Kazuki Ohashi  and
Katsuhiko Ogasawara
Ayana Imatani
Affiliation:
Sapporo City General Hospital , Sapporo, Japan Department of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Hokkaido University , Sapporo, Japan
Kazuki Ohashi
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University , Sapporo, Japan
Katsuhiko Ogasawara*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University , Sapporo, Japan Faculty of Engineering, Muroran Institute of Technology , Muroran, Japan
*
Corresponding author: Katsuhiko Ogasawara; Email: oga@hs.hokudai.ac.jp
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Abstract

Objectives

This study aimed to examine emergency transport times considering closed roads to propose more efficient transport routes to improve the life-saving rate for seriously injured people in Sapporo during an earthquake disaster. Sapporo is the capital of Hokkaido and has a population of approximately 1.97 million as of 2020.

Methods

Transport routes were created using publicly available data and a geographic information system (GIS), and the emergency transport times in Sapporo were subsequently calculated. Closed roads were defined as roads in “areas with high liquefaction potential” and “areas with a total house destruction rate ≥20%.”

Results

Closed roads were concentrated in the northeastern part of the city, as were extended emergency transport times, with delays of up to 101 min. Other areas did not experience significant delays.

Conclusions

The emergency transport time was prolonged in areas with closed roads. Triage posts and semi-closed roads were also suggested to affect emergency transport times. To minimize emergency transport times, it is necessary to consider having nurses and doctors ride in ambulances to triage patients, and to coordinate with disaster base hospitals outside of the city to transport seriously injured people.

Keywords

GISclosed roadsemergency transport timestriage

Information

Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 19 , 2025 , e214
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc

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