Key Socio-Demographic Predictors of Fire Emergency Evacuation Behaviour in Ghanaian Market Communities

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-970-4_34How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Fire Emergency Response; Evacuation Behaviour; Predictors; Socio-demographics; Ghanaian markets

Abstract

Several market patrons in Ghana compromise emergency evacuation readiness during a fire event. Various socio-demographic factors may influence this. This paper investigates these as key predictors of human emergency evacuation behaviour in marketplaces. Identifying these components should help to improve emergency response strategies, lower mortality in market fires, and hence help prevent future catastrophes. Cross-tabulation, multinomial logistic regression, and structured questionnaires with observational data were employed in the quantitative research; theme analysis was used for qualitative responses. The research revealed location, level of education, Occupancy status, gender, and familiarity with the market setting as key predictors of fire emergency evacuation behaviour in marketplaces. The most important element impacting conformance to safety requirements turned out to be the Occupancy status with the strongest effect, B = -1.489, p = 0.002. This research emphasises targeted emergency response operations, easily available alarm systems, trader training as first respondents, real-time communication, and orientation programs for new patrons. The study reveals how to improve fire safety in markets, thereby enhancing compliance and reaction during emergencies. The research fills a critical gap in emergency response studies and informs tailored fire safety regulations for diverse populations. Emphasising the need for community-centric safety standards, the study underscores the need for peer-led training and gender-sensitive ways to increase fire safety knowledge and reactivity. Socially, it offers tailored education and inclusion for effective emergency preparation.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Joana Agyekum-Sah
AU  - Samuel Amos-Abanyie
AU  - Titus Ebenezer Kwofie
AU  - Kwabena Abrokwah Gyimah
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/31
TI  - Key Socio-Demographic Predictors of Fire Emergency Evacuation Behaviour in Ghanaian Market Communities
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering, Science, and Urban Sustainability (ICESUS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 527
EP  - 547
SN  - 2352-5401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-970-4_34
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-970-4_34
ID  - Agyekum-Sah2025
ER  -