A Framework for Fire Safety Management in School Facilities

Abstract

Schools are high-risk type of facilities in fire emergencies. This requires the implementation of safety measures, which comprise administrative and operational efforts to mitigate the occurrence of fire accidents. The review of literature indicated the lack of practical approaches that can be easily adopted for safety management in school facilities. This paper presents the development and implementation of a generic framework for fire safety management in school facilities. A literature review in the domain of fire safety in schools was performed to comprehend various knowledge areas in this context. A generic framework for fire safety management in school facilities was developed. The framework was implemented in a secondary school, located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, as a case study, to illustrate its applicability. An action plan was developed to improve the level of fire safety in the school facility, under review. The findings indicated that the framework provides a methodological and systematic approach for assessing the level of fire safety in schools, as well as determine the possible actions for improving the overall safety condition in such facilities. The paper provides a useful focus for practitioners and researchers concerned with fire safety in the educational workplace.