Evaluating fire disaster preparedness strategies in higher institutions of learning in Uganda; a case study of Makerere University.
Abstract
Fire disasters in academic institutions are now reported to be of public concern because of the
increased occurrences, injuries, and deaths of students, not to mention the destruction of
property to fire incidents. Regular media reports on fire outbreak incidences paints a grim
picture that academic institutions are not well prepared for fire emergencies in Uganda.
Without fire preparedness, academic institutions will continue to lose lives, property, and
learning time.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate fire disaster preparedness strategies in higher
institutions of learning in Uganda taking the case of Makerere University. The study was
guided by the following specific objectives: to assess the level of fire safety awareness amongst
students and staff at Makerere University; to examine the existing fire safety provisions within
buildings at Makerere University and their efficacy; to assess the level of compliance of
buildings at Makerere University with fire safety standards for academic institutions in Uganda
and to propose corrective actions for improving compliance with fire safety standards and
preparedness in the event of a fire incident.
The research adopted a descriptive survey. The target population for this study consisted of 20
frequently used buildings within campus (office, residential, and lecture room buildings). This
study employed stratified simple random sampling technique to obtain the sample population.
Data was collected using questionnaires administered to the staff and students at the sampled
buildings. Observation checklists were used by the researcher in each building to supplement
the questionnaire method of data collection. Data collected from respondents were analyzed
through descriptive statistics. Statistics used are STATA software for data analysis and
Microsoft Excel for visualization. The results were presented using frequency tables, bar
graphs, and pie charts.
Results from the studied buildings indicated that 60% of the firefighting equipment was not
regularly serviced; 70% of hose reels had no water for firefighting purposes and their valves
were not openable; and 60% of the buildings had identifiable fire assembly points but were
turned into car parking lots. Further results indicated that 55% of the respondents were not able
to operate the installed firefighting equipment; 72% of the respondents had never received any
training on firefighting and prevention; 80% of the respondents had never participated in any
fire drills; and 81.5% of them were not aware of the fire responder’s contacts.