Fire disaster preparedness and situational analysis in higher learning institutions of Tanzania

Abstract

Fire disasters are accompanied with devastating impact affecting both lives and properties. The magnitude of the impacts has been severe in places with low levels of fire disaster preparedness. A study was conducted in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to investigate the level of fire disaster preparedness considering the availability and condition of firefighting facilities as well as the knowledge on fire management among the selected 10 higher learning institutions. Information for the buildings was obtained from the interviews with the managers of the buildings and field observations; information on the user’s preparedness was obtained from interviews using structured questionnaire conducted with the users of the buildings including the visitors. Results from the studied buildings indicated that 60% of the firefighting facilities were not regularly serviced; 50% stored some hazardous materials; 70% of them had not enough water storage for firefighting purposes; 60% had no identifiable fire assembly points; and 90% of the sessions conducted in the buildings involved more than 100 people in a single venue. Further results indicated that 51% of the respondents were not able to operate the installed firefighting facilities; 80.7% of the respondents had never received any training on firefighting and prevention; 95.6% of the respondents had never participated in any fire drills; and 81.5% of them were not aware of the fire responder’s contacts. General situation indicated that higher learning institutions are not well prepared to manage fire outbreaks suggesting that plans to rectify the situation are imperative.

Untitled

“…Имајући у виду учесталост пожара као угрожавајуће појаве безбедности, припремљеност као један од елемената управљања у ванредним ситуацијама изазваним пожарима је од кључног значаја (Cvetković & Filipović, 2017). У научној литератури не постоји јасан консензус у погледу природе утицаја разноврсних персоналних и срединских фактора на припремљеност за реаговање у ванредним ситуацијама изазваним пожарима, иако се велики број аутора бави испитивањем истих (Bihari & Ryan, 2012;Chien & Wu, 2008;Cvetković, 2015;Cvetković & Gačić, 2017;Holborn, Nolan, & Golt, 2003;Kihila, 2017;McGee, McFarlane, & Varghese, 2009;Nelson, Monroe, & Johnson, 2005;Paton & Tedim, 2012). Бихари и сарадници међу различитим факторима који утичу на припремљеност домаћинства или заједница за пожар као посебан издвајају "социјални капитал" 1 (Bihari & Ryan, 2012).…”

Management and Environmental Safety from Fire Disasters in a Fire Response Village Model

“…Everything happened because of very low readiness in facing disasters. [2] This will be different if from an early age they are given education on how to deal with emergency situations. So that children are better prepared and able to do things that can be done for early prevention.…”

Private water distribution as a potential everyday risk: The case of Goba, Dar es Salaam

“…The few studies that have been conducted on the access to water have tended to concentrate on citizens’ strategies for accessing water (Kombe et al 2015) and the role of informal small-scale water supply system in resolving drinking water shortages (Mapunda et al 2018). With regard to risks, previous studies that were conducted in Tanzania focused on flood associated risks (Sakijege, Lupala & Sheuya 2012), urban fire risks (Kachenje, Kihila & Nguluma 2010), fire disaster preparedness in higher learning institutions (Kihila 2017) and ineffective urban planning practices to risks accumulation in urban areas (Malele 2009).…”