Fire Disaster Preparedness and Life Safety Program for Preparatory School Students Mentored by Community Health Nursing Students

Abstract

Background: Fire constitute a critical type of danger in school facilities. This necessitates theexecution of disaster preparedness and life safety measures, which encompass administrative andoperational efforts to alleviate the occurrence of fire accidents. Aim: Evaluate the effect ofeducational program on preparatory school students’ preparedness for fire disaster and lifesafety. Study design: A quasi-experimental research design was used. Setting: The enrolledstudents residence represented 12 districts out of the 17 districts in Sharkia Governorate, Egypt.Subjects: A sample of 252 Community Health Nursing students who consequently enrolled 252preparatory school students representing 12 districts out of the 17 districts in SharkiaGovernorate, Egypt. Tools: Three tools were used to collect data they were; 1) Socio-demographic characteristics, 2) Assessment of the school building preparation for fire safetychecklist, 3) Structured questionnaire composed of five parts they were; Students’ knowledgeabout the fire disaster, Fire safety awareness, School evacuation practices as reported bystudents, and Students’ attitude toward fire safety. Results: Statistically significant improvementpost educational program was observed in total satisfactory knowledge, total adequate reportedpractices, total awareness, and total positive attitude regarding fire disaster. Conclusion: Theprogram about fire disaster preparedness and life safety achieved improvement on preparatoryschool students’ knowledge, awareness, reported practices and attitude. Recommendations:Training programs for preparatory students regarding evacuation process should be held toenhance their practices and behaviors. And fire code and safety principles must be adopted byschools adequately.