Fire safety in residential apartment buildings for low income residents in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Fire risk is a critical matter to be considered in apartment buildings constructed for low income residents. Accordingly, management of fire safety carries a big role. However, it become a challenging task in these types of buildings due to residents’ low income, educational level and social backgrounds. Hence, it is vital to evaluate the fire safety in such apartment buildings and to identify their issues. The research is focused to analyze gaps in the fire safety management. Thirty apartment buildings located in Colombo metropolis were selected for the study. Members of the management corporations were interviewed to gather data. Finding showed that lack of knowledge and awareness, not having a proper fire safety system, lack of resources, less commitment of residents, lack of support from relevant authorities and poor maintenance practices are the most critical issues in fire safety management. Enhancing the fire regulation, increasing the awareness, implementation of proper fire safety management systems and construction technologies were identified as required improvements to fill the gap in fire safety. Findings of the research can be considered to enhance the fire safety of apartments constructed for low income families.