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.