ReliefWeb

For displaced Iraqis living in camps, the risk of fire is ever-present. Bad electrical wiring could quickly ignite an electrical fire if left unnoticed. Signs of bad wiring include persistently flickering light or buzzing circuit breaker.

In a camp environment, a fire would quickly engulf the closely-packed shelters in the dry environment, especially in summer when temperature can soar above 50°C (122°F). Additionally, families often have limited space to safely store household fuels, thus proliferating fire hazards. Over the past two months, ACTED teams have been conducting a campaign to raise awareness of fire safety across six internally displaced persons (IDP) camps across Sulaymaniyah and North Diyala.

ACTED’s campaign started with a one-day training session for approximately 15 residents in each camp. The training was led by a certified fire safety trainer who taught the trainees how to identify and reduce fire risks, how to be prepared for a fire and how to respond in the event a fire occurs. Trainees also received some tips about how to communicate effectively about fire safety.

Trainees join ACTED in raising awareness of fire safety

Armed with their new skills, trainees joined ACTED staff to raise awareness of fire safety among their fellow camp residents. The teams went shelter to shelter to engage each family in a conversation about fire safety. According to an ACTED Community Mobilizer, residents were very positive about receiving the message:

“Families living in the camps have all seen fires there before. They know how devastating fires can be, but often don’t know how to reduce the risk of fire or how to respond when one occurs. Families were very happy to learn about these things.”

To assess the effectiveness of the campaign, ACTED’s Appraisal Monitoring and Evaluation Department conducted pre and post surveys of camp residents on the topic of fire safety. The results indicate the campaign had a considerable impact. In the pre-awareness survey, 51% of respondents had checked the condition of their electrical cords in their home within the last month. This number rose to 100% in the post-awareness survey. In the pre-awareness survey, no respondents had spoken with their family about what to do in the event of a fire. This number rose to 65% of respondents in the survey taken after the awareness activities were completed.

ACTED engaged with over 4,500 families as part of the campaign. The trainees who assisted with the awareness campaign received a modest cash-for-work compensation from ACTED for each day they worked.

The fire safety campaign is part of an information and communication program that ACTED is implementing in the Kurdistan region of Iraq with funding from the UNHCR.

“Families who have fled from their home have heightened information needs but very often struggle to access good information,” said an ACTED Program Manager. “We want to help solve this problem by raising awareness of topics such as fire safety and by informing people how they can access the services they need. This is very much in line with the idea that information itself is a vital form of aid.”