Fire risk reduction on the margins of an urbanizing world

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dc.contributor.authorRush, Daviden_ZA
dc.contributor.authorBankoff, Gregen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorCooper-Knock, Sarah-Janeen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorGibson, Lesleyen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorHirst, Lauraen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorJordan, Steveen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorSpinardi, Grahamen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorTwigg, Johnen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorWalls, Richard Shaunen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2022-06-30T13:20:19Zen_ZA
dc.date.available2022-06-30T13:20:19Zen_ZA
dc.date.issued2020-10en_ZA
dc.descriptionCITATION: Rush, D. et al. 2020. Fire risk reduction on the margins of an urbanizing world. Disaster Prevention and Management, 29(5):747-760. doi:10.1108/DPM-06-2020-0191en_ZA
dc.descriptionThe original publication is available at https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/issn/0965-3562en_ZA
dc.description.abstractPurpose: Globally, 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/approach: Our analysis draws on primary sources, secondary literature, statistical data and qualitative interviews. Findings: The 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/value: Informal 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.en_ZA
dc.description.urihttps://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/DPM-06-2020-0191/full/htmlen_ZA
dc.description.versionPublishers versionen_ZA
dc.format.extent14 pagesen_ZA
dc.identifier.citationRush, D. et al. 2020. Fire risk reduction on the margins of an urbanizing world. Disaster Prevention and Management, 29(5):747-760. doi:10.1108/DPM-06-2020-0191en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn0965-3562 (print)en_ZA
dc.identifier.otherdoi:10.1108/DPM-06-2020-0191en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/125439en_ZA
dc.language.isoen_ZAen_ZA
dc.publisherEmeralden_ZA
dc.rights.holderEmeralden_ZA
dc.subjectFires -- Risk assessmenten_ZA
dc.subjectHazard mitigationen_ZA
dc.subjectSquatter settlementsen_ZA
dc.subjectCities and towns -- Growthen_ZA
dc.subjectCape Townen_ZA
dc.subjectRefugee campsen_ZA
dc.titleFire risk reduction on the margins of an urbanizing worlden_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA
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