Improvement of fire safety facilities for the elderly in a private nursing home in Samut Prakan Province

Abstract

The objectives of this qualitative research were (1) to develop a checklist for a private nursing home building in Samut Prakan Province in terms of physical components related to fire safety, (2) to survey the facilities of the building in terms of physical components related to fire safety, and (3) to propose the guidelines for improving the facilities for the fire safety of the building. The recruited subjects were building users selected by purposive sampling, total of 29 subjects. The tools used were interviews consisting of 1) general information of the elderly, 2) a checklist of the building, and 3) an interview form for commuting behavior, space use related to 8 physical elements within the building. Data analysis using descriptive statistics.

The results showed that 1) the physical component: there was an obstruction in the fire evacuation route; stairs that were not for an evacuation were not labeled to indicate direction, location. Other opening-closing devices for the exits were knob type. No building plan and fire escape sign was found. There was no installation of a fire alarm system, including sound, light, vibration system and alarm button 2) space usage behavior: only a few had ever stumbled upon an obstacle in the way. It was also found that there were other issues related to and affected the fire safety. The building superintendent should arrange a practice for fire evacuation drill at least once a year.