Appraisal of Fire Safety Provisions in Tertiary Institutions Buildings in Minna

Abstract

Fire disaster has led to immeasurable lost and destruction of lives and properties respectively in our educational institutions in Nigeria. This paper aimed at examining the effectiveness of fire safety practices in some selected tertiary institution buildings. The aim was achieved by determining the differences between the standard fire safety requirements and the available fire safety culture in the selected buildings. To achieve this, well structured questionnaires and physical assessment of fire fighting equipments were carried out. Primary and secondary data were collected. The target respondents were the student representatives and school authority. The data employed in the linear regression and T-test analyses of this study were sourced through personal assessment and questionnaire directly obtained from the institutions. It was established that no significant relationship exist between the standard escape routes and available escape routes. However standard fire alarms and available fire alarms show a significant difference. A similar result of a significant difference was observed between standard fire extinguishers and available fire extinguishers. The non-significant relationship observed from the regression result implies that increase in the numbers of occupant in the selected buildings may not lead to increase in the numbers of escape routes and vice-versa. Findings from the research expressed the need for active participation of the quantity surveyor and other stake holders on the importance of considering projected population as a determining factor for escape routes, and using standard firefighting equipment in the institutions buildings.