Model of fire safety management for the assessment of an office building in FCT Abuja Nigeria

Fire safety management is essential in the aspects of achieving absolute fire safety standards in a building. Various Fire safety assessment methodologies and fire risk evaluation process has been developed over time, in spites of this, the fire risk keeps increasing, which implied that, there is a poor fire safety management. This study proposes a model of fire safety management for the fire risk assessment of an office building in Nigeria. The ten components of fire safety management were selected from the literature review, which was later structured to form criteria. The relative importance index was used to rank the level of compliance of fire safety management base on their influence. The questionnaires were the distribution to 30 fire safety practitioners and experts with substantial experience and knowledge in fire safety management. The data were analyzed using the relative importance index analytical approach. The evaluation model was suggested base on fire safety practitioners and experts’ perceptions. The inspection/observation of an office building was conducted in Nigeria in order to validate the model. The findings revealed that there is higher fire risk due to non- compliance with the standard fire safety management

Comparative Cost Analysis Between Hydraform Interlocking Brick and Sandcrete Block as Walling Materials for Low-Cost Housing Development in Nigeria

This study analyzed the cost of production and construction of 225mm hollow sandcrete blocks and hydraform interlocking bricks and walls to compare the findings of the results. The study was conducted in Auchi, Estako West Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. The study compared the construction of two models of 225mm hollow sandcrete blocks and hydraform interlocking bricks, materials employed for wall construction for the study are; clay, cement, sand, water and mould. The result of the study indicates that unit cost of 225mm hollow sandcrete block and hydraform interlocking bricks are ₦168.57 and ₦57.85 respectively. While the cost per square metre of 225mm hollow sandcrete block wall and hydraform interlocking brick wall are ₦3,199.40 and ₦3,079.52 respectively. The study also revealed that it is more costly to apply finishes to sandcrete block wall when compared with hydraform interlocking brick wall. Sandcrete block wall requires rendering or plastering to both faces of the walls, while hyraform interlocking wall requires rendering of not more than 300mm girth to vertical external corners of the brick wall. The study, therefore, recommends the use of hydraform interlocking bricks for low-cost housing to reduce the housing deficit in Nigeria. Keywords: Sandcrete block; hydraform interlocking brick; walling; cost analysis; Auchi; DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/11-22-07 Publication date: November 30th 202

Adequate fire safety training for the occupants knowledge and awareness of fire safety

Achievement of fire safety objectives in buildings for the safety of lives, property conservation and business continuity is a collective responsibility of all the stakeholder, and its depends on the level of fire safety knowledge and awareness of the concern stakeholders. Therefore, this research was conducted to determine the fire safety training needs of fire safety practitioners and building managers for adequate fire safety knowledge and awareness of the building occupants in Nigeria. The research adopted questionnaires survey research design. The research population for the study comprises of 349 building manager and fire safety practitioners from six (6) north-central states of Nigeria. A research questionnaires was design for the study, the questionnaires was distributed to collect the data from the participants and was validated by experience fire safety experts; the Cronbach alpha reliability approach was used to identified the internal consistency of the questionnaires items at 0.933. the collected data were analyzed through CFA using SPSS and AMOS software, after the analysis, the data from the participants were adjudge appropriate for inclusion into the confirmatory factor analysis. The CFA was carried out and finding from the analysis is in agreement with one-factor model of fire safety training program for the enhancement of the occupant’s fire safety knowledge and awareness. The research found that fire safety practitioners and building manager requires the components for effective fire safety training. Therefore, it was suggested that the stakeholders should prioritize adequate fire safety training of the occupants and public in the fire safety for boosting their knowledge and awareness of fire safety

Fire safety management strategy in Nigeria public buildings

Ineffective fire safety management is one of the severe issues in public buildings, especially in Nigeria. There has been a significant increase in fire disaster cases in Nigeria in the last 25 years, the incidence of fire disasters becomes the most significant and ultimate threat to building occupants, building and its contents, as well as the economic growth of the nation. Therefore, in order to ensure the safety of building occupants, building contents, the essential features depend on the fire safety protection system, which should be under the fire safety regulation requirements. Nonetheless, practical fire safety management could remedy the damages or rates of injury in fire events. This study presents the findings on the investigation of the effectiveness of fire safety management strategy in Nigeria public buildings. This study attempts to determine the factors affecting improper fire safety management and determine the level of effective implementation of fire safety management components. From the study, safety training and adequate fire safety compliance are the factors that affect improper fire safety management the most. The level of effective implementation of fire safety management strategy is low, which translated to inadequate fire safety management. The most effective approach identified to improve the fire safety management and achievement of fire safety objectives is through effective fire safety management strategy and improvement in fire safety training arrangement and absolute compliance with the fire safety regulations

An investigation of building occupants behaviour during fire alarm

The safety of building occupants during fire emergencies depends mainly on the occupant's behavior in the fire event. Therefore, this study investigates the behavior of high–rise building occupants in Nigeria when they hear the sound of fire alarm under fire drill. The study adopted a survey research design. The population for this study consists of 349 low and high-rise building occupants across six north-central state of Nigeria. A research question was used to direct the study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents which was duly validated by an expert in the field of fire safety. Cronbach Alpha reliability technique was used to determine the internal consistency of the questionnaire items at 0.90. Data collected were analysed through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Analysis of Moment of Statistics (Amos). After a preliminary analysis (descriptive), data from respondents were found suitable for presence in confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), The CFA was performed, and results of the analysis support the one-factor model of occupants behavior in building when they hear the sound of the alarm during a building fire can enhance early evacuation and safety of lives and properties. The study found that occupants required nine actions to be taken when they hear the sound of fire alarm under investigation. However, the study recommended that fire training; total compliance with the relevant fire safety regulations, fire drill, fire communication, and effective fire safety management should be organized for the high or low-rise building occupants to enhance their knowledge of fire safety in a building

Fire safety management strategy in Nigeria public buildings

Ineffective fire safety management is one of the severe issues in public buildings, especially in Nigeria. There has been a significant increase in fire disaster cases in Nigeria in the last 25 years, the incidence of fire disasters becomes the most significant and ultimate threat to building occupants, building and its contents, as well as the economic growth of the nation. Therefore, in order to ensure the safety of building occupants, building contents, the essential features depend on the fire safety protection system, which should be under the fire safety regulation requirements. Nonetheless, practical fire safety management could remedy the damages or rates of injury in fire events. This study presents the findings on the investigation of the effectiveness of fire safety management strategy in Nigeria public buildings. This study attempts to determine the factors affecting improper fire safety management and determine the level of effective implementation of fire safety management components. From the study, safety training and adequate fire safety compliance are the factors that affect improper fire safety management the most. The level of effective implementation of fire safety management strategy is low, which translated to inadequate fire safety management. The most effective approach identified to improve the fire safety management and achievement of fire safety objectives is through effective fire safety management strategy and improvement in fire safety training arrangement and absolute compliance with the fire safety regulations