An Empirical Evaluation Of Fire Outbreak Management In Ghana

Globally,the increasing complexity of society and the intensity of the interactions between humans and their environment make us more exposed than ever to unexpected events.Recent disasters remind us again of the fact that we are far from being prepared for emergencies in these disasters.The direct harm that it poses to the society has been huge in terms of injuries,loss of lives or death and property loss.This leads to huge economic loses on the part of state and individuals.In addition,many lives are lost through these calamities and that reduces the productivity level of a nation since most of it healthy citizens is lost to these tragedies.The long-term economic impact,both domestic and international,is more difficult to estimate.Although studies agree on the damage and extent fires outbreaks or disasters affect economy growth and development most studies attempt to address this issues mainly by concentrating on the economic and social value aspect of fire outbreak.Therefore,limiting researcher insights into how fire management techniques aid in the prevention and control of fire outbreaks.The objective of the study is to investigate the factors that influence fire management in an era of increasing fire outbreaks.Fire outbreak is on the rise lately and therefore has drawn the attention of both academia and practitioners.The continuous fire outbreak in the country has placed policy makers and city authorities on a red alert to provide measure geared at curbing the reoccurring situation.Based on this,the main research question is to identify the measures that contribute to effective and efficient fire management.To solve the research question,an empirical approach in the form of field survey is conducted to collect data from key personnel within the fire management ecosystem.Key informants for the study were selected from various government agencies and authorities such as Environmental Protection Agency,Ghana National Fire Service and National Disaster Management Organisation.A total of 88 respondents provided the required data for the study.Data collected is stored and analyze using Statistical Package for Social Sciences(SPSS)version 21.Initial reliability and validity test is conducted to determine the credibility of data collected.The result of these tests proved the data acquired is consistent and credible for further analysis.Aside reliability and validity test;a variance inflation factor(VIF)test is conducted.The outcome of the variance inflation factor test showed there is no issue of collinearity.To study the relationship between the variables understudy and the dependent variable,thus fire management,Pearson correction test is conducted.The result indicated all the independent variables had some relationship with fire management to some extent.Furthermore,a correlation analysis and linear regression is conducted to evaluate the extent to which these variables influence the outcome of fire management.The results from the study indicates that constant inspection of property by authorities is one of the critical factors in fire management.The behavior of individuals is shaped through these frequent visitations from authorities.Household occupants due to the frequent visitation of city authorities adopt positive fire prevention attitude.This supports findings in literature that suggest supervision from mandated agencies plays critical role in disaster management.Disaster management includes preventive measures and promoting individuals to be ready in times of any uncertain event.Furthermore,the siting of firms and entities in designated locations is a prudent step to curb these fire disasters.Outcome of the statistical analyses support the findings of the study.Despite the contribution of the study to academic literature and policy formulation,there are some shortcomings associated with the generalization of the study findings.