Fire Preparedness Research Articles

EVALUASI SISTEM PROTEKSI DALAM UPAYA PENCEGAHAN BAHAYA KEBAKARAN PADA BANGUNAN GEDUNG BADAN PENANGGULANGAN BENCANA ACEH

The Aceh Disaster Management Agency office is a government office that provides services to the community in implementing disaster management activities in a planned, integrated and comprehensive manner in the pre-disaster, emergency response and post-disaster stages. One of the important things in preventing fire hazards is an emergency response plan, namely taking the form of action in the event of a fire emergency or "Emergency Response" as well as the provision of adequate fire fighting equipment for fire prevention as an effort to prevent people, buildings and their environment from being avoided. wider fire hazard. Seeing the importance of fire handling measures in the office building, it is necessary to conduct an “Emergency Response” assessment with the appropriate standards. The methodology used is the mix method combining qualitative and quantitative data with data collection, namely using secondary data in the form of a Banda Aceh City Map, BPBA Office Building Layout, literature, Permen PU, journals related to this research and primary data consisting of observations of conditions BPBA office, interview and questionnaire. The respondents used are all employees who work in the BPBA office totaling 115 people with a pilot study of 30 people. From the analysis of research data on 26 (twenty six) variables, there are 7 (seven) variables that score small or poorly and it can be interpreted that those variables need attention to make changes. A strategy that can be carried out based on the SWOT analysis is to form a fire preparedness team that is equipped with education and training in an integrated and comprehensive plan; prepare Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for fire disaster management based on statutory regulations; perform routine and continuous building fire simulations; and strengthening other active protection systems, including making water hydrants, fire alarms and smoke detectors.

TRAINING FOR FIRE DISASTER PREPARATION AND INITIAL MANAGEMENT OF FIRE WOUND

The fire disaster preparedness training program aims to increase knowledge and abilities regarding fire alert systems, so that it is hoped that the right attitude will be in the effort to save oneself in the event of a disaster at the campus of Universitas Jenderal Achamd Yani (UNJANI). The methods used in this program are: lectures, practice/implementation, role playing, simulation, mentoring, focus group discussions (FGD) and evaluation with the support of digital technology in the context of making disaster mitigation learning materials. The solutions are: training on fire preparedness; provision of tools, facilities and infrastructure for danger signs and instructions for evacuation and rescue in the event of a fire disaster; providing educational media for campus residents about fire alertness; burn early management training.

EVALUASI SARANA PRASARANA PENUNJANG KESIAPSIAGAAN GEDUNG A UNIVERSITAS SEMARANG TERHADAP RESIKO BENCANA KEBAKARAN

Fire disaster is one of the disasters that is very detrimental to the community both in terms of casualties and property and assets that are invaluable. Building A University of Semarang (USM) and the assets in it are very important things to maintain. Several USM buildings have been equipped with facilities regarding fire preparedness, but most of the USM buildings also do not have these facilities completely. Apart from the facilities, the building occupants' knowledge of fire disaster preparedness cannot yet be known to what extent their understanding is. Evaluation of infrastructure which refers to the standards set by the government needs to be carried out. This can increase awareness and can also minimize losses that can occur. So that activities that take place in the USM area can run well and calmly. There is a significant relationship with a strong enough to strong and positive direction correlation level between the combination of the relationship between 2 variables consisting of HR, Program, and Facilities variables. The residents of building A USM are considered to be ready to face the risk of fire disasters, although the current condition of supporting facilities for fire disaster preparedness is deemed necessary to be added.
 Keywords: fire disaster, preparedness, building A USM.

Fire disaster preparedness of public buildings in Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria

Fire outbreaks have risen to a worldwide attention in recent years as both an environmental and economic issue. Despite the fact that nothing could be sustainably done to completely stop the occurrence of fire disaster, something could be done to mitigate the spread. This study therefore assessed fire preparedness and mitigation provisions in the events of fire disaster in public buildings in Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria. Disaster Preparedness provided the conceptual framework for this study. Cross-sectional survey was adopted in this study. Forty three (43) public buildings and one hundred and eight (108) building users were conveniently selected and sampled. Data were gathered through direct observation and questionnaire administration in selected buildings. Findings showed that banks, social buildings and hospitals were the public buildings more committed to providing and maintaining fire safety equipment. The study also revealed that 51.9% of the occupants of the public buildings have poor knowledge in the operation of fire safety installations. The study concluded by recommending that existing fire safety provisions in building codes should be reviewed and implemented with defaulters punished according to the law. Additionally, public building occupants should be compelled to participate in regular training on fire safety, fire disaster first aid and evacuation procedure.

Fire Preparedness in Secondary Schools in Eldoret West Sub-County, Uasin-Gishu County, Kenya

Background: Fire incidents in schools are worldwide phenomena that primarily range from being highly localized to global in scope. Safety of students and staff members pertaining to hazards, created by unsafe behavior, disasters or emergencies in schools cannot be guaranteed. 
 Objectives: The current study examined the capacity of secondary schools in coordination and communication of fire preparedness well as level of awareness and adaptive capacity.
 Methodology: The study employed a descriptive survey design. Proportionate sampling technique was adopted to select 16 out of the 80 secondary schools. Participants in the study constituted head teachers and other teaching staff in charge of safety, laboratory assistants and the chef. In addition, 280 students were selected from the 16 schools through random probabilistic sampling well as the DEO, 5 ZQAOs and 2 members of fire brigade team in the municipality within the district. Questionnaires and interview guides were used to collect data.
 Results: Sixty five per cent of the schools did not have disaster preparedness policies and plans. However, all head teachers acknowledged that it existed. 81% of schools did not have any alternative learning area neither emergency exits in the event of a disaster. Emergency instructions for safety in the event of disaster occurrence were lacking in many schools as acknowledged by 63% of respondents. Slightly more than half of the schools indicated evacuation drills and regular disaster preparedness meetings are never carried out. 63% of the teachers opined that their schools lacked laid-down procedures during emergency periods.
 Conclusion: Negligible percentage of schools had designated teachers, being in charge of safety. Students had no sufficient knowledge on what to do in case of fire outbreak. There were no adequate training on disaster preparedness and prevention among staff members and students. Findings show a larger percentage of teachers and students do not know how to use fire-fighting equipment. 
 Recommendation: Therefore, the study recommends capacity building programs among academic stakeholders on fire disaster preparedness and provision of fire safety support resources for combating fire disasters in all schools. The MoE should inspect and set ministerial regulations and guidelines on safety issues in all schools to ensure actualization of school safety manuals in blue print and needed commitment.

Sosialisasi dan Pelatihan Kesiapsiagaan Kebakaran di Permukiman

Dissemination and training on fire preparedness and settlement, Widya Mulya, University of Balikpapan, Pupuk Raya Street Gunung Bahagia, Balikpapan City. The high level of population growth has resulted in increasingly dense residential growth. Fires are one of the non-natural disasters that usually occur in the residential area or in densely populated residential areas. The Balikpapan City Government noted that in 2015 there were 46 fire incidents, in 2016 there were 35 fire incidents. In Gunung Sari Ulu Urban Village in Balikpapan City, there was a fire in 2013 at RT 66 and RT 69 (kaltim.tribunnews.com). The source of the fire in the community settlements was due to electric currents and stoves, the fires could be handled early so there was no widespread fire disaster, the community could practice extinguish the fire with simple equipment such as cloth/ towel soaked. If the level of high panic accurs mainly in the case of housewives in handling gas stoves, they can immediately evacuate inside the house such as passing through the railroad lane by wrapping the body using a wet cloth, walking down to minimize inhaled smoke and vision. Asking for help from neighbors and storing emergency telephone numbers if the fire disaster spreads more widely such as fire station, police stations, hospital for ambulances.Keywords: Preparedness, Fire, Settlements.

The Fix-it face-to-face intervention increases multihazard household preparedness cross-culturally.

Vulnerability to natural disasters is increasing globally1-3. In parallel, the responsibility for natural hazard preparedness has shifted to communities and individuals4. It is therefore crucial that households increase their preparedness, yet adoption of household preparedness measures continues to be low, even in high-risk regions5-8. In addition, few hazard-preparedness interventions have been evaluated longitudinally using observational measures. Therefore, we conducted a controlled intervention with a 12-month follow-up on adults in communities in the United States and Turkey that focused on improving household earthquake and fire preparedness. We show that this Fix-it intervention, involving evidence-based, face-to-face workshops, increased multihazard preparedness in both cultures longitudinally. Compared to baseline, the primary outcome-overall preparedness-increased significantly in the intervention groups, with more improvement in earthquake preparedness in the Turkish participants and more improvements in fire preparedness in the US participants. High baseline outcome expectancy and home ownership predicted overall preparedness change in both intervention groups longitudinally, implying that a sense of agency influences preparedness. An unintended consequence of observation is that it may increase preparedness, as even the control groups changed their behaviour. Therefore, observation of home preparatory behaviours by an external source may be a way to extend multihazard preparedness across a population.

Forecasting dryland vegetation condition months in advance through satellite data assimilation

Dryland ecosystems are characterised by rainfall variability and strong vegetation response to changes in water availability over a range of timescales. Forecasting dryland vegetation condition can be of great value in planning agricultural decisions, drought relief, land management and fire preparedness. At monthly to seasonal time scales, knowledge of water stored in the system contributes more to predictability than knowledge of the climate system state. However, realising forecast skill requires knowledge of the vertical distribution of moisture below the surface and the capacity of the vegetation to access this moisture. Here, we demonstrate that contrasting satellite observations of water presence over different vertical domains can be assimilated into an eco-hydrological model and combined with vegetation observations to infer an apparent vegetation-accessible water storage (hereafter called accessible storage). Provided this variable is considered explicitly, skilful forecasts of vegetation condition are achievable several months in advance for most of the world’s drylands.

Physical Security and Survival of <i>Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs)</i> in Southeast, Nigeria

The study explored the relationship between physical security and survival of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in Southeast, Nigeria. The objectives of the study are to determine the nature of relationships that exist between fire outbreak and entrepreneurial vision, burglary attacks and delivery-time of products by SMEs in Southeast, Nigeria. Correlation survey research design was employed in the study. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was used to test the formulated hypotheses at 5% (percent) level of significance. Findings revealed that there were negative significant relationships that exist between fire outbreaks and entrepreneurial visions of SMEs’ owners, burglary attacks and delivery-time of products to customers by SMEs in the region. In addition, the constructs were significant at 0.05 level (2-tailed). It is recommended that owners of businesses should ensure commitment to fire safety by putting necessary resources for fire control (suppression agents and personnel training) and procedures (compliance with fire disaster preparedness bylaws). Further, business owners need to provide multiple layers of security (defense in depth) around business areas. We therefore advocate that for business continuity in the region, rapid response to fire outbreaks, burglary attacks and comprehensive preventive strategies are vital.

Public perceptions towards wildfire preparedness in the Veluwe region of the Netherlands

The Netherlands has a growing threat of wildfires due to warmer and drier weather patterns. The purpose of this study was to identify public perceptions towards wildland fire preparedness in the forested Veluwe region of the country to aid those managers who would be affected by wildland fires to better plan for and manage fire events. Over 500 surveys were distributed to assess public opinions and perceptions regarding wildland fire and public expectations of government agencies in the event of a wildfire. Owing to the lack of any significant historical context of wildfires, the assumption was that the Dutch do not see fire as an immediate threat. Findings from this survey revealed that visitors and residents of the Veluwe region are aware of the wildfire problem in the Netherlands, but see wildfires as an immediate threat to nature (preferred term for most vegetated areas in the Netherlands) rather than themselves. Respondents to this survey also have high expectations of government agencies to inform them about wildfires.

Operational flexibility in forest fire prevention and suppression: a spatially explicit intra-annual optimization analysis, considering prevention, (pre)suppression, and escape costs

Increasing wildfire threats and costs escalate the complexity of forest fire management challenges, which is grounded in complex interactions between ecological, social, economic, and policy factors. It is immersed in this difficult context that decision-makers must settle on an investment mix within a portfolio of available options, subject to limited funds and under great uncertainty. We model intra-annual fire management as a problem of multistage capacity investment in a portfolio of management resources, enabling fuel treatments and fire preparedness. We consider wildfires as the demand, with uncertainty in the severity of the fire season and in the occurrence, time, place, and severity of specific fires. We focus our analysis on the influence of changes in the volatility of wildfires and in the costs of escaped wildfires, on the postponement of capacity investment along the year, on the optimal budget, and on the investment mix. Using a hypothetical test landscape, we verify that the value of postponement increases significantly for scenarios of increased uncertainty (higher volatility) and higher escape costs, as also does the optimal budget (although not proportionally to the changes in the escape costs). Additionally, the suppression/prevention budget ratio is highly sensitive to changes in escape costs, while it remains mostly insensitive to changes in volatility. Furthermore, we show the policy implications of these findings at operational (e.g., spatial solutions) and strategic levels (e.g., climate change). Exploring the impact of increasing escape costs in the optimal investment mix, we identified in our instances four qualitative system stages, which can be related to specific socioecological contexts and used as the basis for policy (re)design. In addition to questioning some popular myths, our results highlight the value of fuel treatments and the contextual nature of the optimal portfolio mix.

Contingency planning for fire protection in built environment: Risk analysis in campus area

Urban and Regional Planning Department, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember has experienced small fire incident in Computer Laboratory, in the middle of 2015. This incident is caused by short circuiting and electricity used in high activities. In addition, the buildings have not yet equipped with evacuation paths strategies nor fire protection system. This article aims to describe the contingency plan formulation process of fire incident in campus building concerning the hazard, vulnerability, and risk level of fire. The method used is based on disaster risk management process, included identify the hazard, measure the vulnerability, analyse the risk level of fire, then analyse the assembly point and evacuation routes to formulate the contingency plan. The finding shows that the fire risk level is categorised into high, medium, and low fire risk. Then, based on scoring analysis, we found the best route to assembly point in the Northwest side of the building. The results are then combined with the stakeholders perception consists of Department’s managers, employees, head of the laboratory and students to formulate contingency plans as an improvement over a fire preparedness. Contingency plan consists of scenarios, policies and strategies according to the fire prevention sectors.

Exploratory Qualitative Study of Fire Preparedness Among High-rise Building Residents.

Introduction: Fire hazards are an extreme risk to occupants of high-rise buildings. Little attention has been paid to emergency and evacuation preparedness among people living in high-rise buildings. This paper reports on emergency fire preparedness among residents of a high-rise building that has experienced multiple fires in the past.Methods: An exploratory qualitative pilot study was conducted using key informant interviews. Six residents participated. Themes on preparedness for fires and emergency evacuation were extracted.Results: Findings indicated varying levels of preparedness for fires and emergency evacuation among residents. Factors influencing residents’ emergency preparedness included fire risk perception, owner or renter status, and building-level emergency preparedness. Fire alarms were considered to be an ineffective evacuation cue. Severe cues such as seeing fire or smoke were more likely to prompt evacuation. Participants provided a series of suggestions to keep high-rise residents safe during fire emergencies.Discussion: The study revealed fire preparedness knowledge, decision-making processes, and actual behaviors of residential high-rise occupants who experienced a fire emergency in their building. Main findings of the study are discussed in two themes: influences on fire emergency and evacuation preparedness, and evacuation decision-making and response to fire. Results from this pilot study will be used as the basis for a follow up study involving residents from multiple high-rise buildings.Keywords: disaster, emergency preparedness, evacuation, fire, hazard, high-rise building, pilot study, qualitative research

Development and validation of a model for predicting fire behaviour in spinifex grasslands of arid Australia

Large wildfires are common in spinifex grasslands of arid Australia. Threat mitigation measures including fire preparedness, prescribed burning and wildfire suppression are greatly enhanced by the ability to predict fire behaviour. The new spinifex fire behaviour model presented here was developed and validated from 186 experimental fires across a wide range of fuel and weather conditions. Because spinifex fuels are discontinuous, modelling is a two-step process; once ignition is achieved, the first step is to determine the likelihood of fire spread, which is dependent on conditions of wind speed, fuel cover and fuel moisture content. If spread thresholds are met, the second step is to predict rate of spread and flame height using the same three independent variables. Thirty-six of the 186 experimental fires not used in modelling were used to validate the model, which proved to be reasonably accurate and an improvement on the previous model.

Vulnerable voices on fire preparedness: Policy implications for emergency and community services collaboration

AbstractAn investigation of household preparedness and community connections was undertaken in the NSW Blue Mountains. The research employed a qualitative approach. Upon receiving ethical approval, interviews and focus groups with a total of 31 vulnerable residents were recorded and transcribed. Data analysis included the manual coding of individual transcripts and key word queries entered into NVivo 10. Fire planning for community resilience within Australia focusses on property preparation and an emergency warning system designed to assist the evacuation decisions of residents. In this article, we report on vulnerable residents and their preparedness for the October 2013 bushfires. Our findings demonstrate that the vulnerable people interviewed did not consider property preservation as a priority, and their knowledge and engagement with the warning system and evacuation procedures was limited. Of practical value, the research found local community services and emergency planning committees should collaboratively plan for vulnerable community members who are unable to take a very active role in preparing themselves or their dependents to face a bushfire or similar disaster. In addition, preparedness and warning communications should be devised and targeted to more clearly assist vulnerable people during the lead up to, and in the midst of, a disaster.

Adoption of fire prevention measures – Predictors in a representative German sample

Whereas for natural hazards a great deal of research has been conducted concerning the predictors of individual preparedness, there is an unusual shortcoming with respect to residential fires. This is all the more surprising as residential fires are far more common than natural disasters. This article investigates the applicability of findings on predictors of individual disaster preparedness for home fire prevention by means of a cross-sectional telephone survey conducted with a representative German sample (N=2175). Data were obtained as part of the project “Rescue, Aid and Culture II” and analyzed using path analyses. Personal experience with and perceived likelihood of home fires were investigated as predictors for three preventive measures, namely smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and fire blankets. Additionally, the roles of perceived knowledge of preventive measures, perceived efficacy of these measures and self-efficacy were examined. In our models perceived knowledge was a significant predictor of all three preparedness measures. For the dependent variable fire extinguishers we found a partial mediation of the influence of perceived knowledge through perceived efficacy and self-efficacy. Personal experience proved to be significantly associated with the presence of smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, whereas perceived likelihood of a residential fire was associated with the presence of fire blankets. Overall we found evidence that some predictors of individual disaster preparedness are likewise important for residential fire preparedness, although the associations were less strong than expected.

Strategic planning and budgeting of wildland fire preparedness programs for risk management

Strategic planning and budgeting of wildland fire preparedness programs for risk management

Digital engagement methods for earthquake and fire preparedness: a review

Natural or human-made hazards may occur at any time. Although one might assume that individuals plan in advance for such potentially damaging events, the existing literature indicates that most communities remain inadequately prepared. In the past, research in this area has focused on identifying the most effective ways to communicate risk and elicit preparedness by means of public hazard education campaigns and risk communication programmes. Today, web- and mobile-based technologies are offering new and far-reaching means to inform communities on how to prepare for or cope with extreme events, thus significantly contributing to community preparedness. Nonetheless, their practical efficacy in encouraging proactive hazard preparedness behaviours is not yet proven. Building on behaviour change interventions in the health field and looking in particular at earthquakes and fire hazards, the challenging RISK team has reviewed the currently active websites, Web, and mobile applications that provide information about earthquake and home fire preparedness. The review investigates the type of information provided, the modality of delivery, and the presence of behaviour change techniques in their design. The study proves that most of the digital resources focus on a single hazard and fail to provide context-sensitive information that targets specific groups of users. Furthermore, behaviour change techniques are rarely implemented in the design of these applications and their efficacy is rarely systematically evaluated. Recommendations for improving the design of Web- and mobile-based technologies are made so as to increase their effectiveness and uptake for a multi-hazard approach to earthquake and home fire preparedness.

How Prepared are Hospital Employees for Internal Fire Disasters? A Study of an Indian Hospital

ABSTRACT Introduction In case of internal disasters, such as fire in hospitals, health services to the community are severely hampered with the additional morbidity of victims, such as employees and visitors present when the disaster strikes. Risk assessment and fire preparedness are most crucial proactive measures to prevent fire disasters and minimize the loss in a hospital; however, scanty studies are available on this topic. Materials and methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at a multispecialty hospital in Mumbai, Maharashtra (India), during March. April 2014. Fire-Safety Preparedness Framework (FSPF) was designed with four domains (risk and vulnerability assessment, response mechanisms and strategies, preparedness plan and information management) for evaluation of fire safety preparedness of hospital employees. Baseline variables were summarized; instrument was tested for reliability using Cronbach's alpha and content validity through review by experts. The number of correct responses for each question was further analyzed across the type of employee. Results The instrument showed high reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.89, p-value. 0.01) and content validity. A total of 207 employees (mean age 32) 8.3 years, 63% females) consented and participated in the study. Out of 20 questions, awareness was high (90%) only for three questions from Response mechanism and strategies-domain. For the remaining questions, awareness was moderate to low. The awareness varied highly with the type of employee. Conclusion The FSPF is a reliable tool for application in the Indian context for hospital employees. Disaster preparedness training and drill need to involve employees from all departments as awareness levels varied highly with type of employee. How to cite this article Shukla K, Chandrashekhar P, Mehta S. How Prepared are Hospital Employees for Internal Fire Disasters? A Study of an Indian Hospital. Int J Res Foundation Hospc Health Adm 2016;4(1):20-24.

Quantity, composition and water contamination potential of ash produced under different wildfire severities

Wildfires frequently threaten water quality through the transfer of eroded ash and soil into rivers and reservoirs. The ability to anticipate risks for water resources from wildfires is fundamental for implementing effective fire preparedness plans and post-fire mitigation measures. Here we present a new approach that allows quantifying the amount and characteristics of ash generated under different wildfire severities and its respective water contamination potential. This approach is applied to a wildfire in an Australian dry sclerophyll eucalypt forest, but can be adapted for use in other environments.The Balmoral fire of October 2013 affected 12,694ha of Sydney's forested water supply catchment. It produced substantial ash loads that increased with fire severity, with 6, 16 and 34Mgha−1 found in areas affected by low, high and extreme fire severity, respectively. Ash bulk density was also positively related to fire severity. The increase with fire severity in the total load and bulk density of the ash generated is mainly attributed to a combination of associated increases in (i) total amount of fuel affected by fire and (ii) contribution of charred mineral soil to the ash layer. Total concentrations of pollutants and nutrients in ash were mostly unrelated to fire severity and relatively low compared to values reported for wildfire ash in other environments (e.g. 4.0–7.3mg Askg−1; 2.3–4.1 B mgkg−1; 136–154 P mgkg−1). Solubility of the elements analysed was also low, less than 10% of the total concentration for all elements except for B (6–14%) and Na (30–50%). This could be related to a partial loss of soluble components by leaching and/or wind erosion before the ash sampling (10 weeks after the fire and before major ash mobilisation by water erosion).Even with their relatively low concentrations of potential pollutants, the substantial total ash loads found here represent a water contamination risk if transported into the hydrological network during severe erosion events. For example, up to 4Mg of ash-derived P could be delivered into a single water supply reservoir.