Vulnerability of Urban Primary and Secondary Schools to Fire Hazards: A Qualitative Study in Ibadan, Nigeria

In recent years, lives and property worth millions of dollars have been destroyed in fire disasters in secondary schools around  the world. Cases of fire disasters in Nigerian secondary schools have been experienced in the last decade with increasing frequency and severity. It is therefore necessary to assess the level of vulnerability to fire hazards among urban schools (primary and secondary) in Ibadan, Nigeria. The objectives of this study are to identify direct vulnerability factors to fire hazards in selected schools in Ibidan, determine preparedness levels against fire hazards, compare fire hazard vulnerability levels between public and private schools in the study area, determine  risk recovery  strategies, and examine the likely challenges of ensuring fire safety among school managers and administrators.

Qualitative methods of data collection were adopted for this study. In-depth Interview (IDI) guides and observation checklists were used as the major instruments for eliciting data from respondents. A total of 8 schools were selected for the study; 4 public schools and 4 private schools. In each of these schools, 2 respondents were engaged in IDIs. These respondents were chosen to reflect school managers including, where available, proprietors and principals in  secondary schools and head teachers in primary schools, as well as class teachers and non-teaching staff. 16 respondents were interviewed in total. It is important to note that this is not a representative sample, therefore results cannot be generalised. It is an indicative study where the results highlight important issues for consideration in policy formulation by concerned authorities, or a pointer for further systematic study.