A Study on the Awareness of Fire Safety Measures for Users and Staff of Shopping Malls: The Case of Mlimani City and Quality Centre in Dar es Salaam

Abstract

Shopping malls are accessed by people from all walks of life and, therefore, provision of adequate fire safety measures is equally important. In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, at large construction, use of shopping malls is a relatively new experience, and risks associated with use of shopping malls, such as fire outbreak, are not evident to frequent users. The main purpose of the study is to assess awareness of fire safety measures for users and staff of two shopping malls located in Dar es Salaam. The research adopted a case study strategy, and 100 respondents were involved in the study. Both random and purposive sampling methods were used to select respondents for the study. Multiple sources of evidence were used in data collection, namely literature review, observations, questionnaires and interviews. Findings indicate that both shopping malls have in place fairly fire prevention measures with varying degrees. Majority of staff and users indicated that they know fire safety measures but their poor knowledge was reflected in assessing them on diferent equipment and installations, such as foam, hose reel, sprinklers and drenchers. The paper concludes that awarenes of fire safety measure of users and staff of the two shopping malls is relatively low. It is, therefore, recommended that provision of fire safety training and instructions, such as posters for users and seminars for staff of shopping malls, shall be a main focus of shopping malls owners and responsible authorities.