Fire risk reduction on the margins of an urbanizing world

• Published in: Disaster prevention and management 2020-11, Vol.29 (5), p.747-760
• Main Authors: Rush, David, Bankoff, Greg, Cooper-Knock, Sarah-Jane, Gibson, Lesley, Hirst, Laura, Jordan, Steve, Spinardi, Graham, Twigg, John, Walls, Richard Shaun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Case studies; Cities; Criminal statistics; Developing countries; Displaced persons; Economic models; Economics; Engines; Fire prevention; Fire safety; Fires; Flammability; Flammable materials; Forest & brush fires; Gender; Housing; Infrastructure; Injuries; LDCs; Political factors; Politics; Population density; Population studies; Power sources; Qualitative analysis; Refugee camps; Risk management; Risk reduction; Traffic accidents & safety; Urban areas
• ISSN: 0965-3562; 1758-6100
• DOI: 10.1108/DPM-06-2020-0191

PurposeGlobally, over 95% of fire related deaths and injuries occur in low- and middle-income countries. Within informal settlements, the risk of fire resulting in injury or death is particularly high. This paper examines fire risks in informal settlements in New Delhi and Cape Town, and tented informal settlements in Lebanon.Design/methodology/approachOur analysis draws on primary sources, secondary literature, statistical data and qualitative interviews.FindingsThe distribution of fire risk across urban societies is a fundamentally political issue. Residential fire risk can be tackled by accessible, affordable, safety-compliant housing. That said, important interim measures can be taken to mitigate fire risk. Some of the risks requiring attention are similar across our case studies, driven by high population densities; flammable housing materials; unreliable or inaccessible access to safe power sources; and – in the case of Cape Town and New Delhi particularly – the inability of fire services to reach sites of fire. However, these common risks are embedded in distinct social, economic and political contexts that must be placed at the center of any intervention. Interventions must also be aware that the risk of fire is not spread evenly within informal settlements, intersecting as it does with factors like gender, age, health and disability.Originality/valueInformal settlement fires have been under-studied to date. The studies that do exist tend to operate within disciplinary silos. This paper represents an important interdisciplinary approach to fire within informal settlements, which grounds technical data, modeling and experiments in political, social and economic realities.