An Examination of Fire Safety and Awareness in Schools

Abstract

Fire safety, risk management, and disaster preparedness are fundamental elements in educational institutions. This study aims to evaluate the fire safety awareness level of school personnel working in the Beşikdüzü and Şalpazarı districts of Trabzon, where data was collected from 218 teachers and administrative staff using the standardized Fire Awareness Scale. The quantitative survey study revealed that while participants demonstrated high overall awareness (mean=4.04/5) with particularly strong performance in theoretical dimensions such as risk awareness and the importance of training, significant practical deficiencies were identified in the confidence dimension, which recorded the lowest scores. Statistical analyses using Independent Samples T-Test and ANOVA showed that gender, education level, and professional role created significant differences in awareness levels, whereas age did not show significant impact. The research also highlighted infrastructure-related concerns regarding equipment maintenance and escape route markings in some schools. These findings emphasize the necessity of moving beyond theoretical training to implement regular, practical drills and scenario-based exercises to enhance response confidence. The study provides evidence-based recommendations for policymakers and school administrators to develop targeted training programs and strengthen institutional safety protocols, ultimately contributing to the development of a comprehensive fire safety culture in educational institutions.

Keywords

• Fire safety awareness
• School personnel
• Disaster preparedness
• Emergency response
• Educational institutions

Supporting Institution

This study was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) 2209-A - University Students Research Projects Support Program [Project no. 1919B012335238].

Project Number

1919B012335238

Thanks

This study was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) 2209-A - University Students Research Projects Support Program [Project no. 1919B012335238].

References

1. United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Manual on Comprehensive School Safety and Security Programme (CSSSP). West Bengal, India: UNICEF West Bengal Field Office, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.unicef.org/india/media/2806/file/School-Safety-Security-Manual-West-Bengal.pdf [Accessed: Jun. 15, 2025].
2. O. Tıdjanı, “Okullarda iş sağlığı ve güvenliğinin önemi,” TAS Journal, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 1–7, 2022.
3. H. Seyedin, M. Dowlati, S. Moslehi, and F. S. Sakhaei, “Health, safety, and education measures for fire in schools: A review article,” Journal of Education and Health Promotion, vol. 9, no. 1, p. 121, 2020. doi: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_665_19
4. O. E. Inyang, Vulnerability of Urban Primary and Secondary Schools to Fire Hazards: A Qualitative Study in Ibadan, Nigeria, Student Working Paper No. 1, Ibadan, Nigeria, 2018.
5. P. I. Shibutse, S. Omuterema, and S. China, “Causes of fire disasters in secondary schools in Kenya,” Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, vol. 4, no. 25, pp. 66–70, 2014.
6. S. Özcan, “Kreşlerdeki yangın güvenlik kriterlerinin değerlendirilmesi,” in Proc. Yangın ve Güvenlik Sempozyumu (TÜYAK-2015), İstanbul, Türkiye, 2015.
7. İ. Aktürk and M. Albeni, “Doğal afetlerin ekonomik performans üzerine etkisi: 1999 yılında Türkiye’de meydana gelen depremler ve etkileri,” Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, vol. 7, no. 1, 2002.
8. M. Yaman, “Öğrenci yurt binalarında yangın güvenlik önlemleri ve tahliye simülasyonları,” Tasarım+Kuram, vol. 17, no. 34, pp. 123-138, 2021.

9. E. Rezabeigi Davarani, M. Nekoei Moghadam, S. Daneshi, N. Khanjani, and M. Kiarsi, “Review of school fires in Iran: The causes, consequences and lessons learned,” Annals of Burns and Fire Disasters, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 53–61, 2020.
10. B. S. Lai, A. M. Esnard, S. R. Lowe, and L. Peek, “Schools and disasters: Safety and mental health assessment and interventions for children,” Current Psychiatry Reports, vol. 18, p. 109, 2016.
11. I. N. Ayonga, “An investigation of fire emergency preparedness in Kenyan schools: A case study of public secondary schools in Nairobi,” M.S. thesis, Faculty of Arts, Univ. of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya, 2016.
12. M. Deer, “Fire safety in schools: Legislation in place for fire safety in schools,” CPD Online, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://cpdonline.co.uk/knowledge-base/health-and-safety/fire-safety-in-schools/ [Accessed: Jun. 15, 2025].
13. K. Pooley, S. Nunez, and M. Whybro, “Evidence-based practices of effective fire safety education programming for children,” The Australian Journal of Emergency Management, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 34–41, 2021.
14. H. Çap, T. Biçer, and L. Tavacioğlu, “Yangın farkındalık ölçeğinin geliştirilmesi: Geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması,” Eurasian Academy of Sciences Social Sciences Journal, vol. 44, pp. 49–63, 2022, doi:10.17740/eas.soc.2022.V44-04
15. B. Özmen, S. Gerdan, and O. Ergünay, “Okullar için afet ve acil durum yönetimi planları,” Elektronik Mesleki Gelişim ve Araştırmalar Dergisi, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 37–52, 2015.
16. G. Uçan, E. Yılmaz, C. Uyar, and N. N. Ürek, “Okullarda iş güvenliğine yönelik öğretmen görüşleri,” Ulusal Eğitim Dergisi, vol. 3, no. 8, pp. 1340–1358, 2023.
17. S. Gönüllüoğlu, “Yangınla ilgili mevzuatlar çerçevesinde yüksek ofis binalarında kaçış yollarının analizi ve bir örnek çalışma,” M.S. thesis, Gazi Univ., Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Ankara, Türkiye, 2008.
18. M. A. Hassanain, “Towards the design and operation of fire safe school facilities,” Disaster Prevention and Management, vol. 15, no. 5, pp. 838–846, 2006. https://doi.org/10.1108/09653560610712775
19. S. M. Smith, T. A. Kress, E. Fenstemaker, M. Ballard, and G. Hyder, “Crisis management preparedness of school districts in three southern states in the USA,” Safety Science, vol. 39, nos. 1–2, pp. 83–92, 2001. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-7535(01)00028-5
20. H. Kahraman, F. K. Şemin, and C. T. Uğurlu, “Okul güvenliği: Türkiye’de basına yansıyanlar,” Journal of History Culture and Art Research, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 392–408, 2019.
21. M. V. Mutiso, D. Okumu, and M. Kinoti, “Fire safety: Awareness of fire risk among students at the medical school of the University of Nairobi: A preliminary study,” East and Central African Journal of Surgery, vol. 9, no. 1, 2004.