The Enhancement of Fire Safety in Small-Scale Senior Citizen Welfare Institutions Based on Fire Protection Defense-in-Depth Strategy

Sung-Ming Hung, Shiuan-Cheng Wang, Shen-Wen Chien, Chung-Hwei Su and Li-Peng Chen
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Sung-Ming Hung: Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung City 824005, Taiwan
Shiuan-Cheng Wang: Department of Public Safety and Fire Science, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Tainan City 717301, Taiwan
Shen-Wen Chien: Department of Fire Science, Central Police University, Taoyuan City 333322, Taiwan
Chung-Hwei Su: Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung City 824005, Taiwan
Li-Peng Chen: Fire Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government, Kaohsiung City 806029, Taiwan

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 6, 1-12

Abstract: The number of elderly living in small-scale senior citizen welfare institutions in Taiwan has been increasing. Hence, enhancing the quality of care and safety of the residents in these institutions is a pressing issue. Our research team visited and reviewed data on 53 small-scale institutions in Tainan based on in-depth fire protection defense strategies and proposed a three-layer protection mechanism. The results showed that: (1) half (50%) of these institutions only meet the old anti-seismic system; (2) 26 (49%) institutions have multi-story buildings, thus, more staff needs to be arranged for night shifts to enable emergency responses on each floor; (3) all institutions have fire detectors; (4) 84% of the elderly living in these institutions are mobility-impaired and need to rely on the assistance of staff for evacuation; (5) most institutions (91%) employ foreign female caregivers which mostly work on night shifts; thus, routine training of emergency response should also consider the abilities of the foreign caregivers; (6) 35 (66%) institutions arrange only 50% of the day-shift manpower for the night shift; (7) 37 (70%) institutions should evaluate whether the function of their fire detectors is affected by fan air; and (8) 11 (21%) institutions use inflammable materials for furnishings to create a “cozy” atmosphere. This study also suggests that preventing smoke from spreading from a room that is on fire to other areas is an important evaluation item. Hopefully, these findings can serve as a reference for countries that are facing an increasingly aging population.

Keywords: fire protection defense-in-depth; small-scale senior citizen welfare institution; fire safety; egress; caregiver (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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