Peoples Awareness of Fire

Abstract

A sample group of the Christchurch population was interviewed to discover if there were any trends in fire awareness and fire knowledge that were related to background characteristics. A variety of methods were used to reach the 141 respondents who completed the survey. These respondents came from a variety of income, age and ethnic groupings. However most respondents were mid-income Europeans. Results were gathered and presented to show what this sample group believes about fire and its behaviour. It also shows peoples actions in fire situations and what fire safety equipment is installed in their homes. A Chi-square analysis was then performed on four background characteristics. This was done to find if there was any evidence that these background characteristics have an affect on peoples' awareness of fire. From the analysis the author recommends that information on the care of smoke detectors and fire extinguishers becomes more widely available and easily accessible. Also of great importance is the need for every household to have and to practice an escape plan. These general recommendations need to be available for the general population along with specific information to target the lack of knowledge in the different background categories.