Fires in refugee and displaced persons settlements: The current situation and opportunities to improve fire prevention and control

Abstract

Introduction We aimed to describe the burden of fires in displaced persons settlements and identify interventions/innovations that might address gaps in current humanitarian guidelines. Methods We performed a systematic review of: i) academic and non-academic literature databases; and ii) guidelines from leading humanitarian agencies/initiatives regarding fire prevention/control. Results Of the 1,521 records retrieved, 131 reports described settlement fires in 31 hosting countries since 1990. These incidents resulted in 487 deaths, 790 burn injuries, displacement of 382,486 individuals and destruction of 50,509 shelters. There was a 25-fold increase in the rate of settlement fires from 1990 to 2015 (0.002 to 0.051 per 100,000 refugees, respectively). Only 4 of the 15 leading humanitarian agencies provided recommendations about fire prevention/control strategies. Potentially useful interventions/innovations included safer stoves (e.g. solar cookers) and fire retardant shelter materials. Conclusion The large and increasing number of fires in displaced persons settlements highlights the need to redress gaps in humanitarian fire prevention/control guidelines. The way forward includes: i) developing consensus among aid agencies regarding fire prevention/control strategies; ii) evaluating the impact of interventions/innovations on the burden of fires; and iii) engaging agencies in a broader discussion about protecting camp residents from armed groups.

Poor methodological quality and reporting standards of systematic reviews in burn care management

“…Independent scrutiny of the titles and abstracts by two authors (JW; ZT) identified 119 potentially relevant articles. Of those, we excluded an additional 59 studies because they failed to meet the methodological definition of systematic review as per our inclusion criteria . Therefore, a total of 60 systematic reviews formed the basis of this study …”

Improved Methods for Fire Risk Assessment in Low-Income and Informal Settlements

“…Stylianou et al, 2015 analysed data from England and Wales from 2003–2011, identifying a decline in burn mortality overall and a higher proportion of males than females receiving burn injuries [ 30 ]. Kazerooni et al, 2016 carried out a systematic review of academic and non-academic literature on fires in camps and settlements for refugees and displaced people worldwide, which found a 25-fold increase in the rate of settlement fires between 1990 and 2015 [ 31 ].…”

Moving beyond informal action: sustainable energy and the humanitarian response system

“…The reliance that communities have on traditional energy sources (such as open fires, kerosene lanterns and candles) exacerbates this risk (Gunning 2014 ; Lahn and Grafham 2015 ), and there are a number of examples of fires in humanitarian camps in the literature (UNHCR 2008 ; UNHCR 2013 ; Medecins Sans Frontieres 2020 ). A systematic review carried out by Kazerooni et al ( 2016 ) found that fires in refugee and displaced persons settlements (excluding urban settings where most displaced people reside) have resulted in at least 487 deaths and 790 burn injuries since 1990. While there is some evidence suggesting that the distribution of solar lamps has decreased the risk of fires (IOM 2014 ), no comprehensive studies have investigated this.…”