Bränder i vägtunnlar – nyttan med hjälptelefoner och handbrandsläckare

Sammanfattning

This study applies a cost-benefit analysis methodology to evaluate the socio-economic profitability of emergency phones and portable fire extinguishers for fires in Swedish road tunnels. The benefits of each component were determined through a qualitative assessment of emergency phones and a quantitative analysis of portable fire extinguishers. The findings indicate that emergency telephones are largely redundant due to widespread mobile phone use and advanced tunnel detection systems, providing limited practical benefit at high cost. In the case of portable fire extinguishers, they show decent effectiveness primarily in small-vehicle fires. However, such fires rarely result in fatalities and, as such, extinguishers are of minimal benefit. Their effect on larger vehicle fires is negligible due to rapid fire escalation, and extinguishers are therefore unlikely to contribute meaningfully to such scenarios. The small financial benefits of portable fire extinguishers in reducing structural damage do not outweigh the costs of installation and maintenance. In summary, the analysis indicates that neither emergency telephones nor portable fire extinguishers are socio-economically justified in modern Swedish road tunnels.