Strategy to Reduce the Number of Injuries of Domestic Fires in a Multi-Occupancy High-Rise Building - Term Paper Example

COMMUNITY SAFETY Effective and robust strategy to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities because of domestic fires in multi-occupancy high-rise building INTRODUCTION “Fire is a disaster that everyone fears most” (Horwitz 2002, p.228) but most destructive fires are commonly caused by carelessness of some people and their total lack of concern or ignorance of the hazards (US Fire Administration 1972, p.10). Moreover, most fires starts in dwellings and the ignition source is either smoking materials or cooking equipment (Norman 2005, p.271). An overpopulated high-rise temporary housing for migrant workers that is still under construction is by some means comparable to dwellings since a number of people are also living and cooking in the premises. However, the main difference is high-rise temporary housing is disorganised, crowded, and lack similar facilities that can be found in common dwellings. For this reason, occupants are altering electrical or gas supplies to have additional place for cooking, which is dangerous and life threatening. Moreover, as far as fire safety is concern the height of the building and the number of people occupying the floor indicate a much bigger problem than evacuating a two storey dwellings with two or four occupants. The following section discusses the problem with overpopulated high-rise temporary housing in terms of fire safety and emergency response. The result of the analysis will be use to create a strategy to solve the problem in multi-occupancy high-rise buildings that would include identifying key partners, their role and the inter-relationship with the fire and rescue service, and engaging these partners into a problem oriented partnership that would solve the problem effectively. ANALYSIS OF THE PROBLEM One source of problem in a high-rise temporary housing is overpopulation. Overpopulation tends to limit space that can be use by migrant workers. For example, so many people will be using the kitchen, electrical outlet, appliances, and other facilities. Living in an overcrowded temporary housing is not easy thus; workers will be likely to try to cope by getting the most out of what is available. They may try to use a single electrical outlet or connect directly into an electrical wire to get their electricity. They may also try to alter the gas pipe and divert some of the gas to other area of the temporary housing and create their own small kitchen. There are actually ranges of things a worker can do to make his life a little better in a limited space but unfortunately, these things are hazardous and should be avoided. OVERPOPULATION AND COOKING As mentioned earlier, overpopulation pushes workers to improvise and get involve in hazardous activities regardless of fire safety concern. For example, people need to cook their food and if the designated kitchen is already crowded, some of the workers will be force to cook anywhere even in the presence of highly combustible materials such the bedroom or the living room. There are many likely sources of fire in dwellings – smoking, damaged or altered electrical wires, faulty electrical equipment, overloaded electrical plugs, careless cooking, stacks of newspapers and other combustible materials (Alvare et al. 2005, p.177). However, in the United States and the United Kingdom, careless cooking is the most common source of fire in dwellings. In fact, the 2007 fire statistic report suggest that cooking appliances rank number 4 as the source of dwelling fires for the year (Communities and Local Government 2007, p.27). Moreover, overcrowding and lack of space are considered health and safety hazard in dwellings (Marshall et al. 2003, p.19). Migrant workers living in an overpopulated temporary housing tend to disregard the hazard of cooking in unlikely places simply because they do not have a choice, knowledge about fire safe practices, and idea about the consequences of their actions. Aside from cooking in hazardous places, workers tend to alter gas supply for their needs, as those being provided in the temporary housing is not enough to serve them all in one time. Consequently, gas leaks from altered gas pipes may occur and start a fire. Moreover, coupled with human carelessness, fire may start while cooking particularly when the improvised cooking area is near highly combustible materials (Stollard & Abrahams 1999, p.24). OVERPOPULATION AND ALTERATION OF ELECTRICAL SUPPLY Another problem caused by overpopulation is limited electrical supply outlet. Similar to cooking gas supply, electricity is a prime necessity in dwellings and temporary housing as well. Migrant workers living in a temporary housing therefore needs to have their share of electricity but unfortunately, the few supply outlets are either in use by fellow workers or simply not enough for all of them. Consequently, some of these deprived workers will attempt to alter electrical wirings and directly connect their appliances in them. There are actually two problems in altering electrical wire. One is the fact that they have rated capacity and additional load would result to overload and heat. According to Salvan (2005, p.159), tampering or overloading an electrical system beyond its designed capacity is undermining the fire safety features of the electrical system. In other words, altering electrical systems can result to fire thus should be avoided. Although there may be some workers who are aware of the consequences of such activity, the need to have an electrical connection for their appliances such as television, washing machine, heater, and other important appliances prevails. Consequently, workers are intentionally disregarding fire safety and pursuing their hazardous activities regardless of consequences. For example, although it is a common knowledge that an outlet should not hold multiple connections, workers would try use extension cords with eight or more outlet and use them all. OVERPOPULATION AND ABUSE OF APPLIANCES Another problem in high-rise temporary housing that is caused by overpopulation is abused of appliances. For example, a washing machine issued to a group of 10 workers will likely to work ten hours or more. Similarly, the television will be on for a significant of hours and the refrigerator will require more power because it is overloaded. There are number of reasons why workers would abuse appliances. First, everybody wants to get his or her share of the appliance service. Second, they have no choice but to abuse it otherwise they would not have clean clothes to wear or their food will spoil. Third, there are people who simply do not care about safety, careless, and ignorant. According to Harmathy (1985, p.417), people who own their homes are more careful and fire safety conscious that those renting or living in houses that is not theirs. Similarly, these workers are living a temporary housing that does not belong to them and therefore they have less or no concern about the consequences of their actions in terms of fire safety. HIGH-RISE FIRE SAFETY ISSUE Overpopulation is not the only source of the problem because the height of the building itself is a fire safety issue. According to Ciottone (2006, p.796), responding to fires in high-rise building are more difficult for the fire service because of height, smoke movement, and layout of the building. For this reason, workers are not only at risk of fire but in danger of being trapped. The height of the building will make it difficult for the fire and rescue service to fight the fire and evacuate occupants in the upper level. Living in a tall building clearly involve considerations on how people would escape safely and in a high-rise temporary housing that is still under construction, escaping will be more difficult than expected. For example, building that are under construction do not usually have completed facilities for fire protection or prevention such as smoke detectors, sprinklers, fire hoses, fire doors, and protected escape routes. When a fire occurs, with no fire suppression, properly designated escape routes and rescue, workers are in danger of being trapped and perished from fire or smoke. SUMMARY OF THE PROBLEM In summary, the major problems in an overpopulated high-rise temporary housing are overpopulation, the lack of fire safety concern among workers and owner of the building, and the impracticality of rescue due to the height and layout of the building. Clearly, creating a fire prevention strategy to solve fires safety problems in overpopulated high-rise temporary housing for migrant workers is more practical. This is because fires in high-rise building are hard to control and evacuation is not always possible. The following section discusses the possibility of solving the problem through fire prevention using a multi-agency approach. SOLVING THE PROBLEM WITH MULTI-AGENCY APPROACH As discussed in the previous section, the problem in an overpopulated high-rise temporary housing for migrant worker can be best solve by fire prevention strategy using a multi-agency approach. A multi-agency approach in solving problems in the community is not new as it had been around since the mid-1990s. In crime prevention, it has been a means of providing solution involving the participation of statutory, voluntary agencies, businesses, community leaders, and others in a multi-agency partnership (Hughes et al. 2002, p.127). Similarly, fire prevention strategies have been a success through wider engagement with the public, and various partnerships (Communities and Local Government Committee 2006, p.226). In contrast, the lack of multi-agency coordination can make it difficult for any fire prevention campaign (US Fire Administration 1998, p.16). For this reason, the best option is to employ a multi-agency approach and establish a problem-oriented partnership with all the agencies willing to participate. The strategy in mind involves educating workers about fire safety while building owners will be reminded of their responsibilities under the law. For this reason, several agencies are required and these include the fire and rescue service as the lead agency, the local authorities and active volunteer groups from the community, the police, emergency health services, and the media. With the fire and rescue service in the lead, their role is to provide the necessary details of hazards in an overpopulated high-rise temporary housing. These may include safe cooking procedures and practices, electrical equipment handling and safe operation, information about ignition sources and potential fuel, and fire prevention routine. In coordination with the media and local volunteers, these fire safety materials will be distributed to high-rise temporary housing in the area in the form of flyers, banners, posters, and demo CD. The media may be asked to include these messages in their daily news release in print, radio, and television. They may also conduct a visual coverage of the temporary housing so that the public may be informed of the workers situation. Similarly, the workers would be aware of the gravity of their situation and may change their attitude for the better. More importantly, the building owner may realise his responsibility seeing his building and his workers being scrutinized in public television for fire safety violations. The volunteer group may opt to personally visit the workers and encourage them to follow the fire safe practices provided by the fire and rescue service. They may also provide some demonstration or invite the workers to visit for training and other educational fire safety activities. The local authorities and the police will support the strategy by helping the fire and rescue service deal with building owners to ensure compliance. The local authorities and the police will be in charge of reminding the building owner of their responsibility under the law as a “responsible person” that would ensure a fire safe building. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the building owner is the responsible person that would provide fire safety measure (Furness & Muckett 2007, p.389). In other words, the owner must ensure the safety of all the people that are legally living in their premises and these include providing them with information about fire safety. Since educating workers on fire safety may extend to post-fire activities that include safe evacuation and survival strategies during a fire. The fire and rescue service and emergency health workers may provide some information regarding these activities. Both services may conduct some training to increase workers chances of survival in a high-rise fire. For example, they may invite some worker’s representative to visit the agency and attend whole day training. The leader can then teach other workers with fire safety practices, survival strategies, first aid, and other health-related technique. In general, both fire and rescue service and emergency health workers will be responsible for personally providing the workers with knowledge and skills they can use in case a fire broke out. The proposed multi-agency approach may include some more participants such as other volunteers that can encourage and provide more information to the workers living in high-rise temporary housing. For example, migrant workers association or foreign professional groups that may have interest in helping their fellow migrants. In other words, the strategy welcomes anybody interested in keeping a fire safe community such as schools and businesses that may be conducting their own fire safety initiatives and want to reach out and help the community. The multi-agency coordination will not only benefit the workers but the fire and rescue service, as the likelihood of fire in high-rise building will be reduce and the agencies resources may be use for some other beneficial purpose. CONCLUSION Most fires start due to carelessness of some people and the most common ignition source is cooking equipment. Overpopulated high-rise temporary housing that is still under construction is a fire safety concern considering the significant number of people who may be altering electrical and gas supply for their needs. Overpopulation has a number of consequences such as cooking outside the designated kitchen, alteration or tampering of electrical wires, and abuse of electrical appliances. Fire safety issues in high-rise temporary housing also extend to the height of the building where fire fighting and evacuation are difficult and impractical. Moreover, building that are under construction normally lack fire detection and fire fighting facilities thus rapid spread of fire is expected. Safe escape routes may not be available for workers and they may be trapped and die from smoke inhalation or fire. Fire safety in overpopulated high-rise temporary housing is a serious issue and therefore must be address as soon as possible. The fire prevention strategy proposed include a multi-agency approach that involve the participation of the fire and rescue service as the lead agency, local authorities, active volunteer groups in the community, the police, emergency health services, and the media. The strategy also welcomes the participation of private businesses, schools, and other groups that may be interested in keeping a fire safe community. Educating the workers in fire safety and reminding building owners of their responsibility under the law are the main concern of the strategy. The strategy may also extend its scope to post fire activities such as safe evacuation and survival technique. In general, through a multi-agency approach, the fire safety strategy hopes to educate and improve workers perceptions regarding fire safety. Similarly, the strategy aims to make building owners more responsible and ensure the safety of their workers by providing fire safety measures and devices in their facilities. REFERENCE LIST Alvare S., Dugan D., & Fuzy J. 2005, Nursing Assistant Care, Hartman Publishing Inc, US Ciottone G., 2006, Disaster medicine, Elsevier Health Sciences, US Communities and Local Government Committee, 2006, The Fire and Rescue Service: Session 2005-06, The Stationery Office, UK Furness A. & Muckett M., 2007, Introduction to fire safety management, Elsevier, UK Harmathy T., 1985, Fire safety, science and engineering: a symposium, ASTM International, US Horwitz J., 2002, Unix system management: primer plus, Sams Publishing, US Hughes G., McLaughlin E., & Muncie J., 2002, Crime prevention and community safety: new directions, SAGE, UK Marshall D., Worthing D., & Heath R., 2003, Understanding Housing Defects, Elsevier, UK Norman J., 2005, Fire Officer's Handbook of Tactics, PennWell Books, US Salvan G., 2005, Architectural Practice & Construction Management, Goodwill Trading Co., Inc., US Stollard P. & Abrahams J., 1999, Fire from first principles: a design guide to building fire safety, Taylor & Francis, UK U.S. Fire Administration, 1972, America Burning, FEMA, US U.S. Fire Administration, 1998, Special Report: Scrap and Shredded Tire Fires, FEMA, US Read More