Fire Disaster Awareness And Preparedness Among Hall Porters In South-Western Nigerian First-Generation Federal University Halls Of ResidenceThis study examined fire disaster awareness and preparedness among hall porters in halls of residence of first-gene
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Abstract
This study examined fire disaster awareness and preparedness among hall porters in halls of residence of first-generation federal universities in South-West Nigeria. Employing a descriptive survey design, the study targeted all hall porters in the three first-generation federal universities in South-West Nigeria. Through multistage sampling, 63 porters were selected from the University of Ibadan and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. A validated, self-developed questionnaire (with reliability coefficient of 0.77) was administered, and data were analysed using descriptive statistics of frequency count, percentages, means, and standard deviations. The findings revealed that hall porters possessed a moderately high level of fire disaster awareness (weighted mean = 2.84). In terms of preparedness, both institutional and individual readiness were found to be moderate but below the expected standard. The level of preparedness of halls of residence (weighted mean = 2.35) and that of hall porters (weighted mean = 2.24) indicated insufficient capacity to effectively respond to fire emergencies. Furthermore, the study revealed significant gaps in the availability of firefighting equipment, with only basic tools like fire extinguishers (71.4%) and sand buckets (58.7%) being fairly common, while advanced systems such as smoke alarms (9.5%), automatic sprinklers (4.8%) were largely absent. The study concludes that while hall porters possess reasonable foundational awareness of common hostel fire risks, moderate preparedness levels and severe infrastructural deficits undermine their effectiveness as the first line of defence. The study therefore underscores the need for improved training, better provision of firefighting equipment, and strengthened fire safety policies within Nigerian universities.
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