Assessment of Fire Safety Preparedness at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

Recently, Kenyans have witnessed an increase in incidences of fire where fire has gutted down homes, buildings and factories with loss of lives and property. Lack of disaster preparedness has remained one of Kenya’s enduring development challenges for decades. There is lack of recognition of the inter-relationship between disaster preparedness, unsustainable production and consumption patterns. Most of the fire disaster response initiatives in Kenya tend to be ad hoc, uncoordinated and short term measures, mainly in the form of emergency relief services to the worst affected areas Fire outbreaks are not only a health risk; they adversely affect the social, economic and environmental conditions of an organization. Consequently, they also become a deterrent in the organization ability to attract investment. Fire safety is an important component in airport operations. Fire safety is also equally important in implementing the engineering design for airports. Fire safety equipment in airports buildings should be defined and stated clearly in order to provide safe, cost-effective, and sustainable buildings.The purpose of this study was to assess fire safety preparedness measures in place at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport based on International Civil Aviation Organizational standards (ICAO). The study evaluated the preparedness measures that have been put in place to minimize the potential effects of fire disaster. Questionnaires were administered to 340 respondents using proportional random sampling technique. A checklist developed from the rules was also used to conduct workplace inspections. Secondary data was obtained from JKIA emergency plan, and compared with obtained data. The data was analyzed using appropriate analytical software and descriptive statistic carried out.The study has established that most of the respondents (89.7%) were aware of the locations of fire emergency exits in their work place. Similarly, 90.7% of the respondents were aware of fire fighting appliances in their workplace for use in case of fire and 91.2% could locate them. Male respondent (93.3%) were more likely to be aware of locations of fire emergency exits as compared to the female respondents (84.3%) and this association was statistically significant (χ2 = 5.559; p=.018, df =1). More than a quarter (26%) of the respondents reported that the exit doors could not be opened and 16.4% admitted that the exit doors are not clearly marked. Three quarters of the respondents reported that there were fire detectors at their workplace with most of them reporting smoke detectors (86%), heat detectors (14%) and flame detectors (15%).Most of the respondents (87.7%) were aware of emergency assembly point in their workplace. The study has also found that more than a quarter of the respondents (25.8%) had not been trained on what actions to take in case of a fire outbreak while close to a half (42.5%) reported that their workplace does not carry out emergency evacuation drills. The results showed that male respondents (77.8%) were more likely to have trained on how to use a fire extinguisher as compared to the female respondents (57.1%) and this was statistically significant (χ2=13.172; since p<.001,df=1) Almost a third of the respondents (29.8%) had not been trained on how to use a fire extinguisher and a quarter (23.3%) reported lack of procedures in place for emergency evacuation in case of fire outbreak at their workplace. The overall level of compliance to the requirements of the fire risk reduction rules and ICAO standards stands at below 60% in terms of fire protection, fire suppression, fire prevention and management control which poses a serious risk to safety issues in case of a fire emergency. The study has also found that there is lack of mechanism to integrate the safety standards and practices of the different stakeholders in and around the airport. This study recommends an integrated fire disaster management system involving all organizations operating at the airport and a provision for more and bigger emergency exits and a public address system that can be relied upon in case of a fire disaster. The finding of this study has also found some gaps on fire safety preparedness at JKIA which can be investigated in other airports