Fire Safety Knowledge and Emergency Preparedness Assessment among Health Care Workers at Three Hospitals in Kunene Region, Namibia

Fire Safety Knowledge and Emergency Preparedness Assessment among Health Care Workers at Three Hospitals in Kunene Region, Namibia | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Fire Safety Knowledge and Emergency Preparedness Assessment among Health Care Workers at Three Hospitals in Kunene Region, Namibia Johannes Evelina Ndapewa, Munawar Harun Koray This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4755019/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 10 Jan, 2025 Read the published version in BMC Health Services Research → Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Hospital preparedness for accidents like fires is essential because fire outbreaks in healthcare settings can occur anytime and require quick responses. Therefore, this study assessed the knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers, as well as the predictors of knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers. Methods An institutional-based descriptive cross-sectional online survey was employed to assess knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among 257 healthcare workers from three hospitals in the Kunene region. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were carried out using STATA version 18. Frequencies and percentages were used in the descriptive statistics and Pearson’s chi square test, correlation analysis and logistic regression were adapted for the inferential statistics. The statistical significance level was set at p-value ≤ 0.05 at 95% confidence interval. Results The study observed that (65.4%) of healthcare workers lack adequate level of knowledge concerning emergency preparedness while 6% of healthcare workers lack sufficient knowledge regarding fire safety. The findings indicated that there is a strong relationship (r = 0.992) between fire safety knowledge and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers. The study findings reported that gender (< 0.0001), and place of work (< 0.0001) were associated with knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness. Male participants were more likely to have adequate knowledge of fire safety ((aOR: 3.74; 95%CI: 2.016–6.950) and emergency preparedness (aOR: 3.64; 95%CI: 1.956–6.756) compared to females. Khorixas district hospital had lower odds (aOR: 0.354; 95%CI: 0.173–0.724) of having adequate knowledge of emergency preparedness compared to those working at the Opuwo hospital. Conclusion According to the study's findings, the vast majority of healthcare professionals do not know enough about fire safety and how to prepare for a fire. Ensuring a safe hospital workplace requires addressing the gaps in healthcare personnel' knowledge and awareness about fire safety. Fire Safety Knowledge Emergency Preparedness Health Care Workers Hospital Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Background Hospitals play a critical role in saving lives and help people's suffering during and after disasters. Safe and resilient hospitals have a strong and organized structure, provide efficient services with an emergency response plan, and continue to operate at maximum capacity in the event of a disaster ( 1 ). However, one of the biggest hospital threats is fire outbreak ( 2 ). Fire risks are a broad category, which includes anything that impairs the performance of fire extinguishing materials or equipment, and anything that complicates safety in the event of a fire. For example, a blockage of safe drainage and a faulty irrigation system would be considered fire hazards. This is because the risk level of a structure affects both the likelihood of a fire and the severity of the potential damage a fire could cause if it occurred ( 3 ). For individual fire protection elements to be effective, they should not be viewed separately, but as an integral part of the entire fire protection system. An unintentional fire can cause serious harm to persons, property, corporate operations, cultural assets, and the environment ( 4 ). The toxic risk to humans from fires depends on the main physiological and pathological effects of exposure to poisonous fire fumes and the mechanisms by which they impede escape and lead to disability and death ( 5 ). According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Office of the Deputy of Prime Ministers, the total number of fires in hospitals and health facilities has increased by 10% in the last five years compared to 1998. At the same time, the number increased to false alarms due to equipment failures observed ( 6 ). In 2011, a major fire broke out at AMRI Hospitals, a large private specialty facility in Kolkata, following a shocking and horrific accident, killing 93 people. Unlucky patients in the wards and intensive care units suffocated and died because local fire safety measures were not implemented and firefighters were unable to access the narrow road leading to the hospital ( 7 ). In 2021, a fire caused extensive damage at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, one of South Africa's largest public hospitals. Although no casualties were reported, hundreds of patients were forced to evacuate the hospital ( 8 ). In May 2022, it was reported that the Ministry of Health in Gauteng, South Africa, was investigating the causes of a fire at a hospital in the capital Pretoria that occurred early Monday morning. No patients or staff were injured in the fire in the temporary buildings of Steve Biko Hospital. For safety reasons, 18 patients and one body had to be moved to other areas of the hospital( 9 ). This fire is the third such accident to occur at the hospital since last year 9. In Namibia, fire incident cases have been reported from different hospitals across the country, (Opuwo District Hospital, Mariental District Hospital, Swakopmund District Hospital, Onandjokwe District Hospital, and Namibia Defence Force Hospital) resulting in the damage of properties in an already poor infrastructural settings ( 10 – 14 ). Adequate fire safety knowledge and emergency preparedness are very crucial among healthcare workers in case of fire events in healthcare settings. A systematic review conducted in sub-Saharan Africa shows that hospital disaster preparedness, including fire incidents, has improved over time. However, health systems in sub-Saharan Africa are still generally considered fragile( 15 ). An earlier study conducted in South Africa among healthcare workers on disaster preparedness demonstrated a significant relationship between knowledge, attitude, and practices and disaster preparedness among healthcare workers ( 16 ). A cross-sectional study was carried out at a teaching hospital in the Marathwada district to evaluate fire safety knowledge and behaviors. The study concluded that the majority of healthcare professionals had adequate knowledge of fire safety ( 17 ). However, to the best of researchers’ knowledge, there is no study assessing fire safety knowledge and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers working in district hospitals in Kunene region, Namibia. Opuwo, Outjo, and Khorixas District Hospitals are three hospitals situated in the Kunene region, situated in north-western Namibia. It is vast, dry, mountainous, remote, and sparsely populated with nomadic communities, poor infrastructure, and geographical barriers. These hospitals are vulnerable to fires and the evacuation process could be challenging( 3 ). It is therefore important to ascertain the knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers working in these major hospitals in the region. Findings from this study will be used to inform policy formation on fire safety and emergency preparedness protocols in these critical health facilities. Additionally, understanding the level of healthcare workers' knowledge of fire safety standards, evacuation procedures, and emergency response measures can help health facilities develop focused training programs and interventions to improve preparedness and response abilities. Research Objectives 1. To assess healthcare workers’ knowledge level of fire safety and emergency preparedness. 2. To assess healthcare workers ability to make use of available firefighting tools within the health facilities. 3. To identify predictors of knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness knowledge among healthcare workers. Methods: Study design and area Study design: The study employed descriptive cross-sectional design. The study is reported using Strengthening the Reporting of OBservational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guideline (Supplementary file 1). Study area: The study was conducted in the Kunene region of Namibia, encompassing the district hospital environments of Opuwo, Outjo, and Khorixas. Opuwo Hospital is located in north-western Namibia (Opuwo town) and, is the administrative capital of the Kunene Region, Khorixas District Hospital is positioned to the southwest of Opuwo and south of Outjo in Khorixas town while Outjo District Hospital is located in the town of Outjo, which is situated in the southern part of the Kunene Region in Namibia. All these three district hospitals act as referral centers for smaller clinics in the surrounding areas. Outjo and Khorixas district hospitals are in more accessible locations than Opuwo. Opuwo District Hospital being located in a remote area made it challenging in logistical issues such as delivery of supplies. Study population and sample size The target population of this study was all healthcare workers at all three hospitals in the region including student healthcare workers at all three hospitals. The sample size was determined based on the total number of healthcare workers available at each hospital during the study period by using mean and Standard deviation from preliminary results calculated using this formula: n= ((Z_ (1-α/2) × σ)/δm ) ^2 where n = Sample size, Z1-α/2 = significant level of 0.05 (95% CI), σ = Standard deviation, δ = Margin/ allowable error. Total population: Opuwo District Hospital = 170 HCWs Outjo District Hospital = 114 HCWS Khorixas District Hospital = 143 HCWs Total = 427 Mean and Standard deviation from preliminary results x̄=4.875 σ = 3.72 n= ( (1.96 × 3.73 )/0.5)^2 = 214×1.2 = 256.8 ≈ 257 Number of survey personnel per hospital were selected proportionately. Opuwo District Hospital = 102 Outjo District Hospital = 69 Khorixas District Hospital = 86 Figure 1 shows the selection process for the study participants. Data collection The study used two methods to collect data. The data collection questionnaire was adapted from the previous studies ( 18 , 19 ). The questionnaire consisted of six sections. Section 1 of the questionnaire consisted of the Research title and introduction part of the researcher, Section 2 had the respondent’s consent part, section 3 consisted of the demographic information of respondents, section 4 with fire safety knowledge questions, section 5 with emergency preparedness questions, and section 6 for the conclusion. The validity and reliability of the knowledge questions were assessed using Cronbach’s Alpha. Cronbach’s Alpha between 0.7–0.79 and 0.8–0.9 were considered acceptable and good, respectively( 20 ). The Cronbach’s alpha for fire safety and emergency preparedness knowledge was 0.73 and 0.87, respectively. Data analysis and statistical techniques The data were manually cleaned, and uploaded in the SPSS version 25.0 for coding and checking for discrepancies. The data was exported into STATA version 18 for analysis. Descriptive analysis was used to calculate measures such as means, medians, and standard deviations, as well as to describe the central tendency and variability of responses related to fire safety knowledge and emergency preparedness. Correlation analysis was also used to assess whether there were any correlations between fire safety and emergency preparedness parameters among healthcare workers. Regression was used to identify factors/ predictors that significantly influence the level of fire safety and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers. The fire safety knowledge section had 8 questions while emergency preparedness section had 9 questions, and Section 5 contained 9 questions. Both sections had three possible responses: 'Yes', 'No', and 'Not sure'. 'Yes' marked a right answer, whilst 'No' and 'Not sure' represented incorrect answers. The questions and knowledge scores scales were adapted from the previous studies ( 19 , 21 ). Table 1 presents the score interpretation. Table 1 Score Interpretation Question scale Score Yes 1 point No 0 point Not Sure 0 point Level of Knowledge on Fire Safety Adequate knowledge 5–8 points Inadequate knowledge 0–4 points Level of knowledge on Emergency Preparedness Adequate knowledge 6–9 points Inadequate knowledge 0–5 points Missing Data The study had a 100% response rate. Also, data cleaning was done to remove all inconsistencies and discrepancies in the data. The study had no missing data in the study. Ethical considerations The Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services Executive Director's Office provided ethical clearance (Ref: 22/4/2/3). The Kunene regional health directorate also approved the study to be conducted in three respective hospitals as well as healthcare professionals after reviewing and agreeing to the participants’ consent form. Participants’ privacy and confidentiality were ensured. Results A total of 257 participants from three different hospitals in Namibia were included in the study. All respondents returned the completed questionnaire giving the study a 100% response rate. The study included a higher proportion of females (57%), than males (43%). The majority of healthcare workers who participated had 5 to 10 years of experience (43.2%), followed by those who had worked for less than 5 years (33.1%). While 13.2% of healthcare workers had worked for 11 to 15 years. A smaller percentage, 5.45% of health care workers had more than 20 years of experience, and finally, 5.1% had a tenure of 16 to 20 years. A large number of the participants (126) held bachelor's degrees, accounting for 49% of the sample. 70 participants (27%) had a secondary education, whereas 14% (36) had tertiary (non-degree) degrees. Moreover, 22 people (9%) had primary education and only three people (1%) had master’s degree (Table 1 ). Table 2 Social Demographic Characteristics Social Demographics Frequency ( n = 257 ) Percent ( % ) Gender Female 146 56.8 Male 111 43.2 Occupation Healthcare and Medical Staff 117 45.5 Support and Operational Staff 96 37.4 Others 44 17.1 Age category 18–27 53 20.6 28–37 88 34.2 38–47 85 33.1 48–60 31 12.1 Hospital Opuwo DH 105 40.9 Outjo DH 67 26.1 Khorixas DH 85 33.1 Years of experience 20 years 14 5.4 Level of education Primary education 22 8.6 Secondary education 70 27.2 Tertiary education 36 14 Bachelor degree 126 49 Masters 3 1.2 The responses provided by each of the participants on the knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness are tabulated in Table 3 . 85.6% of participants know the location of fire extinguishers in their departments while 14.4% are not aware. Majority of participants are unaware of the many different kinds of fire extinguishers and their suitable usage, whilst only 38.1% of them are familiar with them. 44.0% of healthcare workers do not know the right technique of operating fire extinguishers and 56.0% do not know. The findings shows that 51.7% of healthcare workers are not sure if there is an evacuation map displayed within their working places. While 28.0% participated in fire safety training, 19.8% never received training on firefighting tools at their facilities. It was also observed that 72.0% and 80.2% have never participated in any fire training neither received training from their respective hospitals. Table 3 Knowledge assessment on fire safety and emergencies preparedness Questions on knowledge assessments Yes (%) No (%) Not Sure N (%) Knowledge on fire safety Do you know the locations of fire extinguishers in your department? 220 (85.6%) 37 (14.4%) Are you familiar with the different types of fire extinguishers and their appropriate uses? 98 (38.1%) 159 (61.9%) Do you know about different types of fires 108 (42.0%) 149 (58.0%) The very first thing you will do when you discover a fire at your workplace is to activate the fire Alarm and dial the emergency fire service number. (Yes)* 243 (94.6%) 14 (5.4%) Do you know the contact number for the local fire department in case of an emergency? 126 (49.0%) 131(51.0%) Are you aware of any fire alarm system within your workplace? 94 (36.6%) 163 (63.4%) The important causes of death in fire accidents are smoke and suffocation (Yes)* 243 (94.6%) 14 (5.4%) Awareness of exit routes in the workplace is important for every employee to escape from fire. (Yes)* 236 (91.8%) 21 (8.17%) Knowledge on emergency preparedness Do you know the correct technique for operating a fire extinguisher? 113(44.0%) 144(56.0%) Can you effectively use a fire hose reel? 90(35.4%) 167(65.0%) Could you activate the fire alarm system if you discover a fire? 156(60.7%) 101(39.3%) Do you know the location of the designated fire assembly at your facility in case of a fire emergency? 138(53.7%) 119(46.3%) Is there an evacuation map displayed in your facility? 63(24.5%) 61(23.7%) 133 (51.7%) Have you received training on firefighting tools at your facility (hospital) before, i.e., fire extinguishers, fire hose reels, etc.? 51(19.8%) 206(80.2%) Were you oriented about emergency (fire) escaping routes when you started working? 64(24.9%) 193(75.1%) Are you aware of emergency evacuation routes (fire signage) in your facility? 194(75.5%) 63(24.5%) Have you ever participated in any fire safety training, fire drills, or emergency evacuation exercises? 72(28.0%) 185(72.0%) A total of 168 (65.4%) healthcare workers demonstrated an inadequate level of knowledge concerning emergency preparedness and 51 (20.0%) healthcare workers displayed an adequate level of knowledge concerning emergency preparedness. Six percent of healthcare workers lack sufficient knowledge regarding fire safety and 20.0% possess adequate knowledge (Fig. 2). Table 4 shows the level of knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among the health care workers. Level of knowledge of fire safety was found to be associated with gender (p < 0.0001), place of work (p < 0.0001), and level of education (p < 0.01). Female participants, 121 (82.9%), had inadequate knowledge of fire safety and 45 (40.5%) males had adequate knowledge of fire safety. Also, 43 (40.9%) participants working at Opuwo District hospital had adequate knowledge and 56 (83.6%) participants working at Outjo district hospital had inadequate knowledge. Similar to knowledge of fire safety, it was also observed that gender (p < 0.0001), place of work (p < 0.0001) and level of education (p = 0.011) were associated with knowledge of emergency preparedness. Forty-four (39.4%) male participants had adequate knowledge of emergency preparedness compared to 25 (17.1%) female participants. Also, 42 (40.0%) participants working at Opuwo District Hospital had adequate knowledge of emergency preparedness. Table 4 Association between demographic characteristics and the level of knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness Variables Level of Knowledge Inadequate (%) Adequate (%) ꭕ2 p-value Level of Knowledge fire safety Gender 17.4 < 0.0001 Female 121 (82.9) 25 (17.1) Male 66 (59.5) 45 (40.5) Age catergory 6 p = 0.110 18–27 35 (66.0) 18 (34.0) 28–37 59 (67.1) 29 (32.9) 38–47 69 (81.2) 16 (18.8) 48–60 24 (77.4) 7 (22.6) Occupation 2.9 p = 0.233 Healthcare and Medical 90 (76.9) 27 (23.1) Support and Operation 69 (71.9) 27 (28.1) Others 28 (63.6) 16 (36.4) Place of work 16.9 < 0.0001 Opuwo District hospital 62 (59.1) 43 (40.9) Outjo DH 56 (83.6) 11 (16.4) Khorixas DH 69 (81.2) 16 (18.8) Years of working experience 2.9 p = 0.581 20 11 (78.6) 3 (21.4) Level of education 13.7 < 0.01 Primary education 14 (63.6) 8 (36.4) Secondary education 56 (80.0) 14 (20.0) Tertiary education 22 (61.1) 14 (38.9) Bachelor of education 95 (75.4) 31 (24.6) Masters 0 3 (100) Level of Knowledge emergency preparedness Gender 16.3 < 0.0001 Female 121 (82.9) 25 (17.1) Male 67 (60.4) 44 (39.4) Age catergory 6.9 p = 0.072 18–27 35 (66.0) 18 (34.0) 28–37 59 (67.1) 29 (32.9) 38–47 70 (82.4) 15 (17.7) 48–60 24 (77.4) 7 (22.6) Occupation 2.9 p = 0.237 Healthcare and Medical 90 (76.9) 15 (12.8) Support and Operation 70 (72.9) 26 (27.1) Others 28 (63.6) 16 (36.4) Place of work 15.7 < 0.0001 Opuwo District hospital 63 (60.0) 42 (40.0) Outjo DH 56 (83.6) 11 (16.4) Khorixas DH 69 (81.2) 16 (18.8) Years of working experience 3.1 p = 0.554 20 11 (78.6) 3 (21.4) Level of education 13.1 p = 0.011 Primary education 15 (68.2) 7 (31.8) Secondary education 56 (80.0) 14 (20.0) Tertiary education 22 (61.1) 14 (38.9) Bachelor of education 95 (75.4) 31 (24.6) Masters 0 3 (100) Figure 3 shows a very strong positive correlation (r = 0.992) between knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers. In logistic regression models, similar observations were made for both the unadjusted and adjusted models regarding the predictors of knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness. However, the study reported only the adjusted model. Regarding the level of knowledge of fire safety, male participants were almost four times more (aOR: 3.74; 95%CI: 2.016–6.950) more likely to have adequate knowledge, compared to their female counterparts. Also, participants age 38–47 years were 31% less likely (aOR: 0.31; 95%CI: 0.132–0.746) to have adequate knowledge of fire safety compared to participants age 18–27 years. Regarding place of work, participants working in Outjo district hospital were less likely to have adequate knowledge (aOR: 0.28; 95%CI: 0.125–0.607). Regarding knowledge of emergency preparedness, it was also observed that male participants had higher odds (aOR: 3.64; 95%CI: 1.956–6.756) of having adequate knowledge of emergency preparedness compared to female participants. Also, participants age 38–47 years were less likely to have adequate knowledge (aOR: 0.29; 95%CI: 0.122–0.697) compared to those between 18–27 years. Similarly, participants working at Khorixas district hospital had lower odds (aOR: 0.354; 95%CI: 0.173–0.724) of having adequate knowledge of emergency preparedness compared to those working at the Opuwo district hospital. Table 5 Logistic regression models for level of knowledge and demographic characteristics Variables Model I Model II cOR (95% CI) aOR (95% CI) Knowledge of fire safety Gender Female Ref Ref Male 3.30 (1.860–5.856) *** 3.74 (2.016–6.95) *** Age category 18–27 Ref Ref 28–37 0.96 (0.464–1.967) 0.87 (0.391–1.920) 38–47 0.45 (0.205–0.990) * 0.31 (0.132–0.746) ** 48–60 0.57 (0.205–1.566) 0.56 (0.188–1.669) Occupation Healthcare and Medical Ref Support and Operation 1.304 (0.703–2.422) Others 1.90 (0.90–4.032) Place of work Opuwo District hospital Ref Ref Outjo DH 0.28 (0.133–0.602) ** 0.28 (0.125–0.607) ** Khorixas DH 0.33 (0.171–0.652) ** 0.340 (0.166–0.694) * Years of working experience 20 0.55 (0.143–2.151) Level of education Primary education Ref Secondary education 0.44 (0.153–1.247) Tertiary education 1.11 (0.371–3.336) Bachelor of education 0.57 (0.219–1.489) Masters 1 Level of Knowledge of emergency preparedness Gender Female Ref Ref Male 3.18 (1.789–5.646) *** 3.64 (1.956–6.756) *** Age category 18–27 Ref Ref 28–37 0.96 (0.464–1.967) 0.87 (0.394–1.923) 38–47 0.42 (0.188–0.924) * 0.29 (0.122–0.697) ** 48–60 0.57 (0.205–1.566) 0.56 (0.189–1.667) Occupation Healthcare and Medical Ref Support and Operation 0.14 (0.664–2.307) Others 1.9 (0.90–4.03) Place of work Opuwo District hospital Ref Ref Outjo DH 0.29 (0.138–0.627) ** 0.287 (0.130–0.633) ** Khorixas DH 0.348 (0.178–0.679) *** 0.354 (0.173–0.724) ** Years of working experience 20 0.56 (0.143–2.151) Level of education Primary education 1 Secondary education 0.54 (0.184–1.56) Tertiary education 1.36 (0.445–4.178) Bachelor of education 0.70 (0.261–1.872) Masters 1 cOR – crude odds ratio; aOR- adjusted odds ratio; * - p ≤ 0.05; ** - p < 0.001; p < 0.0001 Discussion Fire safety and emergency preparedness in health facilities or hospitals are critical to the overall patients’ safety. It is therefore important for healthcare workers to have adequate knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness. This study was an institutional-based descriptive cross-sectional online survey carried out among 257 healthcare workers at three different district hospitals in Kunene region from November to December 2023 to assess fire safety knowledge and emergency preparedness. The study also assessed the ability to make use of available firefighting tools within the facility among healthcare workers and to identify predictors of knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness knowledge among healthcare workers. These hospitals are the major hospitals in the region. The study findings showed that the majority (72.8%) of healthcare workers do not have adequate knowledge of fire safety. This finding is reflective in the responses to questions assessing the level of knowledge of fire safety among the study participants. For instance, almost 62% of the participants were not familiar with the different types of fire extinguishers and more than half of the participants did not know the different types of fires. Additionally, over half of the participant did not know the contact number for the local fire department in case of an emergency. This study findings corresponds to the previous studies conducted in Botswana and Kenya ( 22 , 23 ). The study in Botswana showed that despite the training the employees had received, they still reflected a knowledge gap towards fire safety measures( 22 ). Out of 145 participants in a study done in Kenya on an assessment of workplace fire safety preparedness, 72.0% of the staff in the medical training college did not know the emergency telephone numbers to report fire outbreaks( 23 ). However, the level of knowledge of fire safety of healthcare workers is in contrast with a study conducted in India, where more than half ( 51.8%) had good knowledge regarding fire safety in hospitals ( 24 ). It is not surprising that the healthcare workers in this study had limited knowledge of fire safety, as a significant majority (72%) of the healthcare workers have never participated in any fire safety training, fire drills, or emergency evacuation exercises. However, there is a need for comprehensive training and education initiatives to enhance healthcare workers awareness and proficiency in fire safety procedures within healthcare settings. Additionally, the study findings indicates that a majority of healthcare workers (73.2%) lack adequate knowledge on fire emergency preparedness. The findings are further supported by the responses from healthcare workers, who revealed that just over one quarter (28%) of them had taken part in emergency evacuation drills, fire drills, or fire safety training and over half (56.%) of the study population did not know the correct method to operate a fire extinguisher. Additionally, about 80.2% of healthcare workers had never received any training on firefighting equipment from their workplaces. These findings are similar to two studies, one conducted in Nigeria to assess knowledge and preparedness, and England to evaluate fire safety preparedness among healthcare workers showed that about 64.8% and 73.8% did not know how to operate fire extinguishers, respectively. [18,19] . Furthermore, the same study conducted in England showed that 89.9% of care workers had not participated in fire drills before [18] . Two studies that were conducted in South East Nigeria public tertiary healthcare facilities and Indian teaching hospitals showed that only 9% and 54% had received training on fire preparedness ( 17 ). These findings emphasizes the importance of focused interventions or training programs to improve healthcare personnel's overall preparation of fire emergency preparedness. The study observe a strong positive relationship between adequate knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers. As fire safety knowledge is increasing, emergency preparedness tends to increase as well. Fire safety education is an effective means of increasing knowledge about fire safety as well as attitudes towards perceived behavioral control over, behavioral intention towards, and behavior related to fire safety ( 25 ). As fire safety training has a potentially positive impact on knowledge and practice of healthcare workers regarding fire management. The study also looked at predictors that can significantly affect the level of knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers. The findings show that gender, place of work, and age can significantly affect the knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers (p < 0.05). Males had higher odds of having adequate fire safety and emergency preparedness knowledge compared to females. As the distribution of knowledge and training may be determined by sociocultural variables and traditional gender roles, men may be more likely to seek out or undergo fire training because of their attitudes towards safety. Healthcare workers between the age of 38–47 years were less likely to have adequate knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness compared to healthcare workers between the age of 18–27. Young healthcare workers are more likely to be driven to develop their careers by improving their skills and understanding as well as participate in ongoing professional development and training activities. Additionally, how well-prepared healthcare workers are for fire safety and emergencies depends on the type of facility, its location, institutional policies, staff experience, responsibilities, and the availability of resources. This is reflected in more healthcare workers at Opuwo district hospital where majority of healthcare workers have adequate knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness compared to Khorixas and Outjo district hospital. Opuwo district hospital is located to much populated area, exposing it to high risk of fire outbreak. Strength of the study To avoid possible bias, the study was carried out using participants from a different study sites. The study discovered significant predictors that can affect healthcare workers' knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness. The findings will help in designing and implementation of tailored training programs that will improve healthcare workers' knowledge on fire safety and emergency preparedness issues. Furthermore, this kind of study has never been done in Kunene region, making it the first study to be conducted in these areas and pave the door for future research assessments. Limitations of the study The study employed a cross-sectional design which affects the possibility of generalization of study findings. The study relies on self-reported data from healthcare workers, which may introduce recall bias due to respondents providing socially desirable responses or overestimating their knowledge and preparedness level of knowledge. Conclusion The study concluded that a significant majority of healthcare workers lack a sufficient level of knowledge about both awareness of fire safety and fire emergency preparedness. The findings indicated a substantial gap in training initiatives. The implications of these findings are alarming, as they suggest a potential risk to both healthcare workers and patients in the event of a fire emergency. Addressing the gaps in fire safety knowledge and preparedness among healthcare workers is critical to ensuring a safe healthcare environment. By implementing targeted training programs and robust safety protocols, healthcare facilities can significantly enhance their emergency response capabilities, ultimately safeguarding both staff and patients. Declarations Author contribution Acknowledgment We wish to acknowledge the Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services Research Committee and Kunene Regional Health Directorate for approving my topic and for permitting me continue with my research project. My special thanks to all healthcare workers from all three district hospitals in the Kunene region whose active participation was crucial to the progress of my project. Funding There was no funding for the study Conflict of Interest None declared Data Availability Statement Data is available reasonable request Authors’ Contribution Conceptualization - ENJ; Methodology – MHK, & ENJ; Data Curation: ENJ; Formal analysis – MHK & ENJ; Writing of Original draft – ENJ; Writing review & editing – ENJ & MHK; Supervision & Validation –MHK. References Mosadeghrad AM. Developing a Hospital Disaster Risk Management Evaluation Model. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2019;12:287–96. Sahebi A, Jahangiri K, Alibabaei A, Khorasani-Zavareh D. 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Available from: https://www.africanews.com/2021/04/17/patients-evacuated-after-fire-at-south-africa-hospital/ Christopher Ojilere20. South Africa Probes Hospital Fire [Internet]. Gauteng; 2022. Available from: https://von.gov.ng/south-africa-probes-hospital-fire/ Hartman A. Swakop psychiatric ward set on fire. The Namibian Newspaper [Internet]. 2024 Jan 29; Available from: https://www.namibian.com.na/swakop-psychiatric-ward-set-on-fire/ Cloete L. Namibia: Fire Damages Mariental Hospital. 2019 Sep 30; Available from: https://allafrica.com/stories/201910010053.html ILENI NANDJATO. ONANDJOKWE HOSPITAL NEARLY BURNS DOWN. Namibian Sun [Internet]. 2020 Jun 30; Available from: https://www.namibiansun.com/news/onandjokwe-hospital-nearly-burns-down2020-06-30 Nakale A. Defence probes military hospital fire. New Era [Internet]. 2021 Jun 16; Available from: https://www.pressreader.com/namibia/new-era/20210616/281603833417834 Namibian T. Opuwo hospital generator burnt. The Namibian Newspaper [Internet]. 2022 Mar 24; Available from: https://www.namibian.com.na/opuwo-hospital-generator-burnt-2/ Farah B, Pavlova M, Groot W. Hospital disaster preparedness in sub ‑ Saharan Africa : a systematic review of English literature. BMC Emerg Med. 2023;1–13. Janizadeh R, Omidvari F, Motlagh Z, Jahangiri M. Research Paper Disaster Preparedness: Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Hospital Staff. Heal Emergencies Disasters Q. 2023;8(3):185–92. Kulkarni RS, Giri PA, Gangwal PR. Knowledge and practices regarding fire safety amongst health care workers in tertiary care teaching hospital in Marathwada region of Maharashtra , India. Int J Community Med Public Heal. 2016;3(7):1900–4. Barile Edward Ikpae, Paul Dienye AD-J. Evaluation of Fire Safety Preparedness among Health care providers in Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital. Niger Heal J. 2018;18(1):14–22. Au U, Pu N, Kc M, Uu O, Oc O. Knowledge and Preparedness in a Public Tertiary Healthcare Facility in Abia State , South East Nigeria. J Community Med Prim Heal Care. 2022;34(2):94–108. Zahreen K, Arof M, Ismail S, Saleh AL. Contrac tor ’ s Performance Appraisal System in the Malaysian Construction Industry : Current Practice , Perception and Understanding. 2018;7:46–51. C MB, Latha P, Arumugam I. A study to assess the knowledge regarding fire accidents among nurses working at Narayana Medical College Hospital , Nellore , Andhra Pradesh. Med Sci Nurs. 2019;1(1):11–3. Muindi EM. An Assessment of Workplace Fire Safety Preparedness : A Study in Kenya Medical Training College Campuses in Eastern Kenya Region A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment for the award of the degree of Masters of Public Health of the University of N. Fac Heal Sci. 2014;1:4154. Innocent Meki. Knowledge and attitude of healthcare workers towards fire prevention and control practice in the workplace at a medical laboratory in Gaborone, Botswana. J Comm Pub Heal Nurs. 2018;4(2):9846. Poonam Jadhav, Tanvi K SB. A Study to Assess Knowledge and Practices regarding Fire Safety among Health care workers in selected Hospitals of Pune City. Int J Nurs Educ Res. 2023;11(3):189–2. Byeon D. Effect of Fire Safety Education Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior on the Fire Safety Behavior of Care Worker Trainees. Fire Sci Eng. 2019;33(1):147–55. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files STROBEchecklistcrosssectional.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 10 Jan, 2025 Read the published version in BMC Health Services Research → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 19 Jul, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 18 Jul, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 18 Jul, 2024 First submitted to journal 17 Jul, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4755019","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":329053272,"identity":"89cdaa1d-2956-4a7f-89ec-c19d78d1a262","order_by":0,"name":"Johannes Evelina Ndapewa","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southern Medical University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Johannes","middleName":"Evelina","lastName":"Ndapewa","suffix":""},{"id":329053274,"identity":"f32adc40-31c1-4e8b-b7f0-bac50bbe7b39","order_by":1,"name":"Munawar Harun Koray","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA/ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACCRBRIMHAD6QYG0AcZuYGIrQYSDBINoC1GAC1MBKlBYgOwLQwENAiH9387OEXA4s849uHD36cUfEnmr8dqOVHxTacWgzvHDM3ljGQKDY7l5YsueGMQe6Mw4wNjD1nbuPWMiPBTFrCQCJx2xkeM8aHbQa5DUAtzIxt+LSkfwNr2dwD0vLPIHc+IS3yEjlmkh+AWjbwALVsbDDI3UBIi4HMmTJpYCAnzjjDliw545hx7kagloP4/CI/u32b5I+KusT+HuaDH3tq5HLnnT988MGPCjy2HADGHQ+66AGc6kG2NACj7gc+FaNgFIyCUTAKAMqtWKHE1DPJAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Upper West Regional Health Directorate","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Munawar","middleName":"Harun","lastName":"Koray","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-07-17 09:18:44","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4755019/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4755019/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-12211-z","type":"published","date":"2025-01-10T15:57:00+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":62729003,"identity":"db233eff-ccf7-475e-ba49-7bbbf28b850d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-18 22:57:48","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":131769,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure1flowchart.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4755019/v1/ad6d750b22974c35e93ee788.png"},{"id":62729519,"identity":"be1c8c91-1bbd-416b-956d-5376ed60b412","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-18 23:05:48","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":76208,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure2correlationanalysis.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4755019/v1/61da8984bee45c18fe72415c.png"},{"id":62729518,"identity":"a11de74e-a70e-4865-875c-f82ab699bfe8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-18 23:05:48","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":23334,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure3levelofknowledge.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4755019/v1/3d0c3a57fdc59dc382809aa9.png"},{"id":73693891,"identity":"909cc984-4b7a-409f-afa9-5e953c40c61d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-01-13 16:09:03","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1795631,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4755019/v1/402484db-024e-4c83-8cff-aab2e73ec559.pdf"},{"id":62729001,"identity":"d83f72ee-c913-4880-ae02-4645faf4b540","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-18 22:57:48","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":29815,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"STROBEchecklistcrosssectional.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4755019/v1/f19d02e58dd0e622c0f19ff5.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Fire Safety Knowledge and Emergency Preparedness Assessment among Health Care Workers at Three Hospitals in Kunene Region, Namibia","fulltext":[{"header":"Background","content":"\u003cp\u003eHospitals play a critical role in saving lives and help people\u0026apos;s suffering during and after disasters. Safe and resilient hospitals have a strong and organized structure, provide efficient services with an emergency response plan, and continue to operate at maximum capacity in the event of a disaster (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). However, one of the biggest hospital threats is fire outbreak (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFire risks are a broad category, which includes anything that impairs the performance of fire extinguishing materials or equipment, and anything that complicates safety in the event of a fire. For example, a blockage of safe drainage and a faulty irrigation system would be considered fire hazards. This is because the risk level of a structure affects both the likelihood of a fire and the severity of the potential damage a fire could cause if it occurred (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). For individual fire protection elements to be effective, they should not be viewed separately, but as an integral part of the entire fire protection system. An unintentional fire can cause serious harm to persons, property, corporate operations, cultural assets, and the environment (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe toxic risk to humans from fires depends on the main physiological and pathological effects of exposure to poisonous fire fumes and the mechanisms by which they impede escape and lead to disability and death (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Office of the Deputy of Prime Ministers, the total number of fires in hospitals and health facilities has increased by 10% in the last five years compared to 1998. At the same time, the number increased to false alarms due to equipment failures observed (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2011, a major fire broke out at AMRI Hospitals, a large private specialty facility in Kolkata, following a shocking and horrific accident, killing 93 people. Unlucky patients in the wards and intensive care units suffocated and died because local fire safety measures were not implemented and firefighters were unable to access the narrow road leading to the hospital (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e). In 2021, a fire caused extensive damage at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, one of South Africa\u0026apos;s largest public hospitals. Although no casualties were reported, hundreds of patients were forced to evacuate the hospital (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e). In May 2022, it was reported that the Ministry of Health in Gauteng, South Africa, was investigating the causes of a fire at a hospital in the capital Pretoria that occurred early Monday morning. No patients or staff were injured in the fire in the temporary buildings of Steve Biko Hospital. For safety reasons, 18 patients and one body had to be moved to other areas of the hospital(\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e). This fire is the third such accident to occur at the hospital since last year 9. In Namibia, fire incident cases have been reported from different hospitals across the country, (Opuwo District Hospital, Mariental District Hospital, Swakopmund District Hospital, Onandjokwe District Hospital, and Namibia Defence Force Hospital) resulting in the damage of properties in an already poor infrastructural settings (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e). Adequate fire safety knowledge and emergency preparedness are very crucial among healthcare workers in case of fire events in healthcare settings.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA systematic review conducted in sub-Saharan Africa shows that hospital disaster preparedness, including fire incidents, has improved over time. However, health systems in sub-Saharan Africa are still generally considered fragile(\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e). An earlier study conducted in South Africa among healthcare workers on disaster preparedness demonstrated a significant relationship between knowledge, attitude, and practices and disaster preparedness among healthcare workers (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e). A cross-sectional study was carried out at a teaching hospital in the Marathwada district to evaluate fire safety knowledge and behaviors. The study concluded that the majority of healthcare professionals had adequate knowledge of fire safety (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e). However, to the best of researchers\u0026rsquo; knowledge, there is no study assessing fire safety knowledge and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers working in district hospitals in Kunene region, Namibia.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOpuwo, Outjo, and Khorixas District Hospitals are three hospitals situated in the Kunene region, situated in north-western Namibia. It is vast, dry, mountainous, remote, and sparsely populated with nomadic communities, poor infrastructure, and geographical barriers. These hospitals are vulnerable to fires and the evacuation process could be challenging(\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). It is therefore important to ascertain the knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers working in these major hospitals in the region. Findings from this study will be used to inform policy formation on fire safety and emergency preparedness protocols in these critical health facilities. Additionally, understanding the level of healthcare workers\u0026apos; knowledge of fire safety standards, evacuation procedures, and emergency response measures can help health facilities develop focused training programs and interventions to improve preparedness and response abilities.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResearch Objectives\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e1. To assess healthcare workers\u0026rsquo; knowledge level of fire safety and emergency preparedness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e2. To assess healthcare workers ability to make use of available firefighting tools within the health facilities.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e3. To identify predictors of knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness knowledge among healthcare workers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n"},{"header":"Methods: Study design and area","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStudy design:\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study employed descriptive cross-sectional design. The study is reported using Strengthening the Reporting of OBservational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guideline (Supplementary file 1).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStudy area:\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study was conducted in the Kunene region of Namibia, encompassing the district hospital environments of Opuwo, Outjo, and Khorixas. Opuwo Hospital is located in north-western Namibia (Opuwo town) and, is the administrative capital of the Kunene Region, Khorixas District Hospital is positioned to the southwest of Opuwo and south of Outjo in Khorixas town while Outjo District Hospital is located in the town of Outjo, which is situated in the southern part of the Kunene Region in Namibia. All these three district hospitals act as referral centers for smaller clinics in the surrounding areas. Outjo and Khorixas district hospitals are in more accessible locations than Opuwo. Opuwo District Hospital being located in a remote area made it challenging in logistical issues such as delivery of supplies.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStudy population and sample size\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe target population of this study was all healthcare workers at all three hospitals in the region including student healthcare workers at all three hospitals. The sample size was determined based on the total number of healthcare workers available at each hospital during the study period by using mean and Standard deviation from preliminary results calculated using this formula:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003en= ((Z_ (1-α/2) \u0026times; σ)/δm ) ^2 where \u003cb\u003en\u003c/b\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Sample size, \u003cb\u003eZ1-α/2\u003c/b\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;significant level of 0.05 (95% CI), \u003cb\u003eσ\u003c/b\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Standard deviation, \u003cb\u003eδ\u003c/b\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Margin/ allowable error.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal population: Opuwo District Hospital\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;170 HCWs\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOutjo District Hospital\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;114 HCWS\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eKhorixas District Hospital\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;143 HCWs\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;427\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean and Standard deviation from preliminary results\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ex̄=4.875 σ\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3.72\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003en= ( (1.96 \u0026times; 3.73 )/0.5)^2\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;214\u0026times;1.2\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;256.8\u0026thinsp;\u0026asymp;\u0026thinsp;257\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumber of survey personnel per hospital were selected proportionately.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOpuwo District Hospital\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;102\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOutjo District Hospital\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;69\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eKhorixas District Hospital\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;86\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigure 1 shows the selection process for the study participants.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eData collection\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study used two methods to collect data. The data collection questionnaire was adapted from the previous studies (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e). The questionnaire consisted of six sections. Section 1 of the questionnaire consisted of the Research title and introduction part of the researcher, Section 2 had the respondent\u0026rsquo;s consent part, section 3 consisted of the demographic information of respondents, section 4 with fire safety knowledge questions, section 5 with emergency preparedness questions, and section 6 for the conclusion.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe validity and reliability of the knowledge questions were assessed using Cronbach\u0026rsquo;s Alpha. Cronbach\u0026rsquo;s Alpha between 0.7\u0026ndash;0.79 and 0.8\u0026ndash;0.9 were considered acceptable and good, respectively(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e). The Cronbach\u0026rsquo;s alpha for fire safety and emergency preparedness knowledge was 0.73 and 0.87, respectively.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eData analysis and statistical techniques\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe data were manually cleaned, and uploaded in the SPSS version 25.0 for coding and checking for discrepancies. The data was exported into STATA version 18 for analysis. Descriptive analysis was used to calculate measures such as means, medians, and standard deviations, as well as to describe the central tendency and variability of responses related to fire safety knowledge and emergency preparedness. Correlation analysis was also used to assess whether there were any correlations between fire safety and emergency preparedness parameters among healthcare workers. Regression was used to identify factors/ predictors that significantly influence the level of fire safety and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe fire safety knowledge section had 8 questions while emergency preparedness section had 9 questions, and Section 5 contained 9 questions. Both sections had three possible responses: 'Yes', 'No', and 'Not sure'. 'Yes' marked a right answer, whilst 'No' and 'Not sure' represented incorrect answers. The questions and knowledge scores scales were adapted from the previous studies (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e). Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e presents the score interpretation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eScore Interpretation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"2\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuestion scale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eScore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 point\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 point\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot Sure\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 point\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLevel of Knowledge on Fire Safety\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdequate knowledge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u0026ndash;8 points\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInadequate knowledge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u0026ndash;4 points\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLevel of knowledge on Emergency Preparedness\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdequate knowledge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u0026ndash;9 points\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInadequate knowledge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u0026ndash;5 points\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eMissing Data\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study had a 100% response rate. Also, data cleaning was done to remove all inconsistencies and discrepancies in the data. The study had no missing data in the study.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eEthical considerations\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e The Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services Executive Director's Office provided ethical clearance (Ref: 22/4/2/3). The Kunene regional health directorate also approved the study to be conducted in three respective hospitals as well as healthcare professionals after reviewing and agreeing to the participants\u0026rsquo; consent form. Participants\u0026rsquo; privacy and confidentiality were ensured.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eA total of 257 participants from three different hospitals in Namibia were included in the study. All respondents returned the completed questionnaire giving the study a 100% response rate. The study included a higher proportion of females (57%), than males (43%). The majority of healthcare workers who participated had 5 to 10 years of experience (43.2%), followed by those who had worked for less than 5 years (33.1%). While 13.2% of healthcare workers had worked for 11 to 15 years. A smaller percentage, 5.45% of health care workers had more than 20 years of experience, and finally, 5.1% had a tenure of 16 to 20 years. A large number of the participants (126) held bachelor's degrees, accounting for 49% of the sample. 70 participants (27%) had a secondary education, whereas 14% (36) had tertiary (non-degree) degrees. Moreover, 22 people (9%) had primary education and only three people (1%) had master\u0026rsquo;s degree (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSocial Demographic Characteristics\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSocial Demographics\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequency ( n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;257 )\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercent ( % )\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e146\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e56.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e111\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOccupation\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHealthcare and Medical Staff\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e117\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSupport and Operational Staff\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e96\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAge category\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u0026ndash;27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u0026ndash;37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e88\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38\u0026ndash;47\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e85\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48\u0026ndash;60\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHospital\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOpuwo DH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e105\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOutjo DH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e67\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKhorixas DH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e85\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eYears of experience\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;5 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e85\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u0026ndash;10 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e111\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u0026ndash;15 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16\u0026ndash;20 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;20 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLevel of education\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrimary education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecondary education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e70\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTertiary education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor degree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e126\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMasters\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe responses provided by each of the participants on the knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness are tabulated in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e. 85.6% of participants know the location of fire extinguishers in their departments while 14.4% are not aware. Majority of participants are unaware of the many different kinds of fire extinguishers and their suitable usage, whilst only 38.1% of them are familiar with them.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e44.0% of healthcare workers do not know the right technique of operating fire extinguishers and 56.0% do not know. The findings shows that 51.7% of healthcare workers are not sure if there is an evacuation map displayed within their working places. While 28.0% participated in fire safety training, 19.8% never received training on firefighting tools at their facilities. It was also observed that 72.0% and 80.2% have never participated in any fire training neither received training from their respective hospitals.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKnowledge assessment on fire safety and emergencies preparedness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuestions on knowledge assessments\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot Sure N (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKnowledge on fire safety\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDo you know the locations of fire extinguishers in your department?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e220 (85.6%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37 (14.4%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAre you familiar with the different types of fire extinguishers and their appropriate uses?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e98 (38.1%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e159 (61.9%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDo you know about different types of fires\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e108 (42.0%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e149 (58.0%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe very first thing you will do when you discover a fire at your workplace is to activate the fire Alarm and dial the emergency fire service number. (Yes)*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e243 (94.6%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14 (5.4%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDo you know the contact number for the local fire department in case of an emergency?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e126 (49.0%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e131(51.0%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAre you aware of any fire alarm system within your workplace?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e94 (36.6%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e163 (63.4%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe important causes of death in fire accidents are smoke and suffocation\u0026nbsp;(Yes)*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e243 (94.6%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14 (5.4%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAwareness of exit routes in the workplace is important for every employee to escape from fire.\u0026nbsp;(Yes)*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e236 (91.8%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21 (8.17%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKnowledge on emergency preparedness\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDo you know\u0026nbsp;the correct technique for operating a fire extinguisher?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e113(44.0%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e144(56.0%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCan you effectively use a fire hose reel?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90(35.4%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e167(65.0%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCould you activate the fire alarm system if you discover a fire?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e156(60.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e101(39.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDo you know the location of the designated fire assembly at your facility in case of a fire emergency?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e138(53.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e119(46.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIs there an evacuation map displayed in your facility?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e63(24.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e61(23.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e133 (51.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHave you received training on firefighting tools at your facility (hospital) before, i.e., fire extinguishers, fire hose reels, etc.?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e51(19.8%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e206(80.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWere you oriented about emergency (fire) escaping routes when you started working?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e64(24.9%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e193(75.1%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAre you aware of emergency evacuation routes (fire signage) in your facility?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e194(75.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e63(24.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHave you ever participated in any fire safety training, fire drills, or emergency evacuation exercises?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e72(28.0%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e185(72.0%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA total of 168 (65.4%) healthcare workers demonstrated an inadequate level of knowledge concerning emergency preparedness and 51 (20.0%) healthcare workers displayed an adequate level of knowledge concerning emergency preparedness. Six percent of healthcare workers lack sufficient knowledge regarding fire safety and 20.0% possess adequate knowledge (Fig.\u0026nbsp;2).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e shows the level of knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among the health care workers. Level of knowledge of fire safety was found to be associated with gender (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001), place of work (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001), and level of education (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01). Female participants, 121 (82.9%), had inadequate knowledge of fire safety and 45 (40.5%) males had adequate knowledge of fire safety. Also, 43 (40.9%) participants working at Opuwo District hospital had adequate knowledge and 56 (83.6%) participants working at Outjo district hospital had inadequate knowledge.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSimilar to knowledge of fire safety, it was also observed that gender (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001), place of work (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001) and level of education (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.011) were associated with knowledge of emergency preparedness. Forty-four (39.4%) male participants had adequate knowledge of emergency preparedness compared to 25 (17.1%) female participants. Also, 42 (40.0%) participants working at Opuwo District Hospital had adequate knowledge of emergency preparedness.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAssociation between demographic characteristics and the level of knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLevel of Knowledge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInadequate (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdequate (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eꭕ2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ep-value\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLevel of Knowledge fire safety\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGender\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e17.4\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e121 (82.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25 (17.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e66 (59.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45 (40.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAge catergory\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e6\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.110\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u0026ndash;27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35 (66.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18 (34.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u0026ndash;37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e59 (67.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29 (32.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38\u0026ndash;47\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e69 (81.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16 (18.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48\u0026ndash;60\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24 (77.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 (22.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOccupation\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e2.9\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.233\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHealthcare and Medical\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90 (76.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27 (23.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSupport and Operation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e69 (71.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27 (28.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28 (63.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16 (36.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePlace of work\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e16.9\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOpuwo District hospital\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e62 (59.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43 (40.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOutjo DH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e56 (83.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11 (16.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKhorixas DH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e69 (81.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16 (18.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eYears of working experience\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e2.9\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.581\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e57 (67.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28 (32.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u0026ndash;10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e82 (73.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29 (26.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u0026ndash;15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26 (76.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 (23.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16\u0026ndash;20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11 (84.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (15.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11 (78.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (21.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLevel of education\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e13.7\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrimary education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14 (63.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 (36.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecondary education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e56 (80.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14 (20.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTertiary education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22 (61.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14 (38.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor of education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e95 (75.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31 (24.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMasters\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (100)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLevel of Knowledge emergency preparedness\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGender\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e16.3\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e121 (82.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25 (17.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e67 (60.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44 (39.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAge catergory\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e6.9\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.072\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u0026ndash;27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35 (66.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18 (34.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u0026ndash;37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e59 (67.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29 (32.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38\u0026ndash;47\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e70 (82.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15 (17.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48\u0026ndash;60\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24 (77.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 (22.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOccupation\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e2.9\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.237\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHealthcare and Medical\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90 (76.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15 (12.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSupport and Operation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e70 (72.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26 (27.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28 (63.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16 (36.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePlace of work\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e15.7\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOpuwo District hospital\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e63 (60.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e42 (40.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOutjo DH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e56 (83.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11 (16.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKhorixas DH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e69 (81.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16 (18.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eYears of working experience\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e3.1\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.554\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e57 (67.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28 (32.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u0026ndash;10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e83 (74.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28 (25.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u0026ndash;15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26 (76.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 (23.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16\u0026ndash;20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11 (84.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (15.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11 (78.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (21.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLevel of education\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e13.1\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.011\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrimary education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15 (68.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 (31.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecondary education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e56 (80.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14 (20.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTertiary education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22 (61.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14 (38.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor of education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e95 (75.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31 (24.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMasters\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (100)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigure 3 shows a very strong positive correlation (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.992) between knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn logistic regression models, similar observations were made for both the unadjusted and adjusted models regarding the predictors of knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness. However, the study reported only the adjusted model. Regarding the level of knowledge of fire safety, male participants were almost four times more (aOR: 3.74; 95%CI: 2.016\u0026ndash;6.950) more likely to have adequate knowledge, compared to their female counterparts. Also, participants age 38\u0026ndash;47 years were 31% less likely (aOR: 0.31; 95%CI: 0.132\u0026ndash;0.746) to have adequate knowledge of fire safety compared to participants age 18\u0026ndash;27 years. Regarding place of work, participants working in Outjo district hospital were less likely to have adequate knowledge (aOR: 0.28; 95%CI: 0.125\u0026ndash;0.607).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRegarding knowledge of emergency preparedness, it was also observed that male participants had higher odds (aOR: 3.64; 95%CI: 1.956\u0026ndash;6.756) of having adequate knowledge of emergency preparedness compared to female participants. Also, participants age 38\u0026ndash;47 years were less likely to have adequate knowledge (aOR: 0.29; 95%CI: 0.122\u0026ndash;0.697) compared to those between 18\u0026ndash;27 years. Similarly, participants working at Khorixas district hospital had lower odds (aOR: 0.354; 95%CI: 0.173\u0026ndash;0.724) of having adequate knowledge of emergency preparedness compared to those working at the Opuwo district hospital.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLogistic regression models for level of knowledge and demographic characteristics\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModel I\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModel II\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ecOR (95% CI)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eaOR (95% CI)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKnowledge of fire safety\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGender\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.30 (1.860\u0026ndash;5.856) ***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.74 (2.016\u0026ndash;6.95) ***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAge category\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u0026ndash;27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u0026ndash;37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.96 (0.464\u0026ndash;1.967)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.87 (0.391\u0026ndash;1.920)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38\u0026ndash;47\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.45 (0.205\u0026ndash;0.990) *\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.31 (0.132\u0026ndash;0.746) **\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48\u0026ndash;60\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.57 (0.205\u0026ndash;1.566)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.56 (0.188\u0026ndash;1.669)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOccupation\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHealthcare and Medical\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSupport and Operation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.304 (0.703\u0026ndash;2.422)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.90 (0.90\u0026ndash;4.032)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePlace of work\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOpuwo District hospital\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOutjo DH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.28 (0.133\u0026ndash;0.602) **\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.28 (0.125\u0026ndash;0.607) **\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKhorixas DH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.33 (0.171\u0026ndash;0.652) **\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.340 (0.166\u0026ndash;0.694) *\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eYears of working experience\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u0026ndash;10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.72 (0.387\u0026ndash;1.338)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u0026ndash;15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.63 (0.252\u0026ndash;1.560)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16\u0026ndash;20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.37 (0.077\u0026ndash;1.785)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.55 (0.143\u0026ndash;2.151)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLevel of education\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrimary education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecondary education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.44 (0.153\u0026ndash;1.247)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTertiary education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.11 (0.371\u0026ndash;3.336)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor of education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.57 (0.219\u0026ndash;1.489)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMasters\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLevel of Knowledge of emergency preparedness\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGender\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.18 (1.789\u0026ndash;5.646) ***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.64 (1.956\u0026ndash;6.756) ***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAge category\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u0026ndash;27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u0026ndash;37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.96 (0.464\u0026ndash;1.967)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.87 (0.394\u0026ndash;1.923)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38\u0026ndash;47\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.42 (0.188\u0026ndash;0.924) *\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.29 (0.122\u0026ndash;0.697) **\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48\u0026ndash;60\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.57 (0.205\u0026ndash;1.566)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.56 (0.189\u0026ndash;1.667)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOccupation\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHealthcare and Medical\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSupport and Operation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.14 (0.664\u0026ndash;2.307)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.9 (0.90\u0026ndash;4.03)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePlace of work\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOpuwo District hospital\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOutjo DH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.29 (0.138\u0026ndash;0.627) **\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.287 (0.130\u0026ndash;0.633) **\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKhorixas DH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.348 (0.178\u0026ndash;0.679) ***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.354 (0.173\u0026ndash;0.724) **\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eYears of working experience\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u0026ndash;10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.69 (0.368\u0026ndash;1.280)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u0026ndash;15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.63 (0.252\u0026ndash;1.560)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16\u0026ndash;20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.37 (0.077\u0026ndash;1.785)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.56 (0.143\u0026ndash;2.151)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLevel of education\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrimary education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecondary education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.54 (0.184\u0026ndash;1.56)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTertiary education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.36 (0.445\u0026ndash;4.178)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor of education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.70 (0.261\u0026ndash;1.872)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMasters\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cem\u003ecOR \u0026ndash; crude odds ratio; aOR- adjusted odds ratio; * - p\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;0.05; ** - p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001; p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eFire safety and emergency preparedness in health facilities or hospitals are critical to the overall patients\u0026rsquo; safety. It is therefore important for healthcare workers to have adequate knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness. This study was an institutional-based descriptive cross-sectional online survey carried out among 257 healthcare workers at three different district hospitals in Kunene region from November to December 2023 to assess fire safety knowledge and emergency preparedness. The study also assessed the ability to make use of available firefighting tools within the facility among healthcare workers and to identify predictors of knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness knowledge among healthcare workers. These hospitals are the major hospitals in the region.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study findings showed that the majority (72.8%) of healthcare workers do not have adequate knowledge of fire safety. This finding is reflective in the responses to questions assessing the level of knowledge of fire safety among the study participants. For instance, almost 62% of the participants were not familiar with the different types of fire extinguishers and more than half of the participants did not know the different types of fires. Additionally, over half of the participant did not know the contact number for the local fire department in case of an emergency.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study findings corresponds to the previous studies conducted in Botswana and Kenya (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e). The study in Botswana showed that despite the training the employees had received, they still reflected a knowledge gap towards fire safety measures(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e). Out of 145 participants in a study done in Kenya on an assessment of workplace fire safety preparedness, 72.0% of the staff in the medical training college did not know the emergency telephone numbers to report fire outbreaks(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e). However, the level of knowledge of fire safety of healthcare workers is in contrast with a study conducted in India, where more than half ( 51.8%) had good knowledge regarding fire safety in hospitals (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e). It is not surprising that the healthcare workers in this study had limited knowledge of fire safety, as a significant majority (72%) of the healthcare workers have never participated in any fire safety training, fire drills, or emergency evacuation exercises. However, there is a need for comprehensive training and education initiatives to enhance healthcare workers awareness and proficiency in fire safety procedures within healthcare settings.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdditionally, the study findings indicates that a majority of healthcare workers (73.2%) lack adequate knowledge on fire emergency preparedness. The findings are further supported by the responses from healthcare workers, who revealed that just over one quarter (28%) of them had taken part in emergency evacuation drills, fire drills, or fire safety training and over half (56.%) of the study population did not know the correct method to operate a fire extinguisher.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdditionally, about 80.2% of healthcare workers had never received any training on firefighting equipment from their workplaces. These findings are similar to two studies, one conducted in Nigeria to assess knowledge and preparedness, and England to evaluate fire safety preparedness among healthcare workers showed that about 64.8% and 73.8% did not know how to operate fire extinguishers, respectively.\u003csup\u003e[18,19]\u003c/sup\u003e. Furthermore, the same study conducted in England showed that 89.9% of care workers had not participated in fire drills before\u003csup\u003e[18]\u003c/sup\u003e. Two studies that were conducted in South East Nigeria public tertiary healthcare facilities and Indian teaching hospitals showed that only 9% and 54% had received training on fire preparedness (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e). These findings emphasizes the importance of focused interventions or training programs to improve healthcare personnel's overall preparation of fire emergency preparedness.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study observe a strong positive relationship between adequate knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers. As fire safety knowledge is increasing, emergency preparedness tends to increase as well. Fire safety education is an effective means of increasing knowledge about fire safety as well as attitudes towards perceived behavioral control over, behavioral intention towards, and behavior related to fire safety (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e). As fire safety training has a potentially positive impact on knowledge and practice of healthcare workers regarding fire management. The study also looked at predictors that can significantly affect the level of knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers. The findings show that gender, place of work, and age can significantly affect the knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). Males had higher odds of having adequate fire safety and emergency preparedness knowledge compared to females. As the distribution of knowledge and training may be determined by sociocultural variables and traditional gender roles, men may be more likely to seek out or undergo fire training because of their attitudes towards safety. Healthcare workers between the age of 38\u0026ndash;47 years were less likely to have adequate knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness compared to healthcare workers between the age of 18\u0026ndash;27. Young healthcare workers are more likely to be driven to develop their careers by improving their skills and understanding as well as participate in ongoing professional development and training activities. Additionally, how well-prepared healthcare workers are for fire safety and emergencies depends on the type of facility, its location, institutional policies, staff experience, responsibilities, and the availability of resources. This is reflected in more healthcare workers at Opuwo district hospital where majority of healthcare workers have adequate knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness compared to Khorixas and Outjo district hospital. Opuwo district hospital is located to much populated area, exposing it to high risk of fire outbreak.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStrength of the study\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo avoid possible bias, the study was carried out using participants from a different study sites. The study discovered significant predictors that can affect healthcare workers' knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness. The findings will help in designing and implementation of tailored training programs that will improve healthcare workers' knowledge on fire safety and emergency preparedness issues. Furthermore, this kind of study has never been done in Kunene region, making it the first study to be conducted in these areas and pave the door for future research assessments.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eLimitations of the study\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study employed a cross-sectional design which affects the possibility of generalization of study findings. The study relies on self-reported data from healthcare workers, which may introduce recall bias due to respondents providing socially desirable responses or overestimating their knowledge and preparedness level of knowledge.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe study concluded that a significant majority of healthcare workers lack a sufficient level of knowledge about both awareness of fire safety and fire emergency preparedness. The findings indicated a substantial gap in training initiatives. The implications of these findings are alarming, as they suggest a potential risk to both healthcare workers and patients in the event of a fire emergency. Addressing the gaps in fire safety knowledge and preparedness among healthcare workers is critical to ensuring a safe healthcare environment. By implementing targeted training programs and robust safety protocols, healthcare facilities can significantly enhance their emergency response capabilities, ultimately safeguarding both staff and patients.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor contribution\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgment\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe wish to acknowledge the Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services Research Committee and Kunene Regional Health Directorate for approving my topic and for permitting me continue with my research project. My special thanks to all healthcare workers from all three district hospitals in the Kunene region whose active participation was crucial to the progress of my project.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere was no funding for the study\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConflict of Interest\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNone declared\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData Availability Statement\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eData is available reasonable request\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAuthors\u0026rsquo; Contribution\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConceptualization - ENJ; Methodology \u0026ndash; MHK, \u0026amp; ENJ; Data Curation: ENJ; Formal analysis \u0026ndash; MHK \u0026amp; ENJ; Writing of Original draft \u0026ndash; \u0026nbsp; ENJ; Writing review \u0026amp; editing \u0026ndash; ENJ \u0026amp; MHK; Supervision \u0026amp; Validation \u0026ndash;MHK.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMosadeghrad AM. Developing a Hospital Disaster Risk Management Evaluation Model. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2019;12:287\u0026ndash;96. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSahebi A, Jahangiri K, Alibabaei A, Khorasani-Zavareh D. Factors affecting emergency evacuation of Iranian hospitals in fire: A qualitative study. J Educ Health Promot. 2021;10:154. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMurphy GRF, Foot C. ICU fire evacuation preparedness in London: a cross-sectional study. Br J Anaesth. 2011 May;106(5):695\u0026ndash;8. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePrevention HF, Guide E. HospitalsDontBurn. In: The Free Encyclopedia. 1978. p. 57. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBalut MD, Der-Martirosian C, Dobalian A. Disaster Preparedness Training Needs of Healthcare Workers at the US Department of Veterans Affairs. South Med J. 2022;115(2):158\u0026ndash;63. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCampbell R. Structure Fires in Health Care Facilities. Natl Fire Prot Assoc. 2017;9(17):8. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePal I. Fire Incident at AMRI Hospital, Kolkata (India): A Real Time Assessment for Urban Fire. J Bus Manag Soc Sci Res [Internet]. 2014;3(1). Available from: https://ijme.in/articles/fire-in-a-hospital/?galley=html\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAfricanews and AP. Patients evacuated after fire at South Africa hospital [Internet]. 2021. Available from: https://www.africanews.com/2021/04/17/patients-evacuated-after-fire-at-south-africa-hospital/\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChristopher Ojilere20. South Africa Probes Hospital Fire [Internet]. Gauteng; 2022. Available from: https://von.gov.ng/south-africa-probes-hospital-fire/\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHartman A. Swakop psychiatric ward set on fire. The Namibian Newspaper [Internet]. 2024 Jan 29; Available from: https://www.namibian.com.na/swakop-psychiatric-ward-set-on-fire/\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCloete L. Namibia: Fire Damages Mariental Hospital. 2019 Sep 30; Available from: https://allafrica.com/stories/201910010053.html\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eILENI NANDJATO. ONANDJOKWE HOSPITAL NEARLY BURNS DOWN. Namibian Sun [Internet]. 2020 Jun 30; Available from: https://www.namibiansun.com/news/onandjokwe-hospital-nearly-burns-down2020-06-30\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNakale A. Defence probes military hospital fire. New Era [Internet]. 2021 Jun 16; Available from: https://www.pressreader.com/namibia/new-era/20210616/281603833417834\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNamibian T. Opuwo hospital generator burnt. The Namibian Newspaper [Internet]. 2022 Mar 24; Available from: https://www.namibian.com.na/opuwo-hospital-generator-burnt-2/\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFarah B, Pavlova M, Groot W. Hospital disaster preparedness in sub ‑ Saharan Africa : a systematic review of English literature. BMC Emerg Med. 2023;1\u0026ndash;13. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJanizadeh R, Omidvari F, Motlagh Z, Jahangiri M. Research Paper Disaster Preparedness: Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Hospital Staff. Heal Emergencies Disasters Q. 2023;8(3):185\u0026ndash;92. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKulkarni RS, Giri PA, Gangwal PR. Knowledge and practices regarding fire safety amongst health care workers in tertiary care teaching hospital in Marathwada region of Maharashtra , India. Int J Community Med Public Heal. 2016;3(7):1900\u0026ndash;4. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBarile Edward Ikpae, Paul Dienye AD-J. Evaluation of Fire Safety Preparedness among Health care providers in Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital. Niger Heal J. 2018;18(1):14\u0026ndash;22. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAu U, Pu N, Kc M, Uu O, Oc O. Knowledge and Preparedness in a Public Tertiary Healthcare Facility in Abia State , South East Nigeria. J Community Med Prim Heal Care. 2022;34(2):94\u0026ndash;108. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eZahreen K, Arof M, Ismail S, Saleh AL. Contrac tor \u0026rsquo; s Performance Appraisal System in the Malaysian Construction Industry : Current Practice , Perception and Understanding. 2018;7:46\u0026ndash;51. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eC MB, Latha P, Arumugam I. A study to assess the knowledge regarding fire accidents among nurses working at Narayana Medical College Hospital , Nellore , Andhra Pradesh. Med Sci Nurs. 2019;1(1):11\u0026ndash;3. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMuindi EM. An Assessment of Workplace Fire Safety Preparedness : A Study in Kenya Medical Training College Campuses in Eastern Kenya Region A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment for the award of the degree of Masters of Public Health of the University of N. Fac Heal Sci. 2014;1:4154. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInnocent Meki. Knowledge and attitude of healthcare workers towards fire prevention and control practice in the workplace at a medical laboratory in Gaborone, Botswana. J Comm Pub Heal Nurs. 2018;4(2):9846. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePoonam Jadhav, Tanvi K SB. A Study to Assess Knowledge and Practices regarding Fire Safety among Health care workers in selected Hospitals of Pune City. Int J Nurs Educ Res. 2023;11(3):189\u0026ndash;2. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eByeon D. Effect of Fire Safety Education Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior on the Fire Safety Behavior of Care Worker Trainees. Fire Sci Eng. 2019;33(1):147\u0026ndash;55. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-health-services-research","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"bhsr","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Health Services Research](http://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/BHSR/default.aspx","title":"BMC Health Services Research","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Fire Safety, Knowledge, Emergency Preparedness, Health Care Workers, Hospital","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4755019/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4755019/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eHospital preparedness for accidents like fires is essential because fire outbreaks in healthcare settings can occur anytime and require quick responses. Therefore, this study assessed the knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers, as well as the predictors of knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAn institutional-based descriptive cross-sectional online survey was employed to assess knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among 257 healthcare workers from three hospitals in the Kunene region. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were carried out using STATA version 18. Frequencies and percentages were used in the descriptive statistics and Pearson\u0026rsquo;s chi square test, correlation analysis and logistic regression were adapted for the inferential statistics. The statistical significance level was set at p-value\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;0.05 at 95% confidence interval.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study observed that (65.4%) of healthcare workers lack adequate level of knowledge concerning emergency preparedness while 6% of healthcare workers lack sufficient knowledge regarding fire safety. The findings indicated that there is a strong relationship (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.992) between fire safety knowledge and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers. The study findings reported that gender (\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001), and place of work (\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001) were associated with knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness. Male participants were more likely to have adequate knowledge of fire safety ((aOR: 3.74; 95%CI: 2.016\u0026ndash;6.950) and emergency preparedness (aOR: 3.64; 95%CI: 1.956\u0026ndash;6.756) compared to females. Khorixas district hospital had lower odds (aOR: 0.354; 95%CI: 0.173\u0026ndash;0.724) of having adequate knowledge of emergency preparedness compared to those working at the Opuwo hospital.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to the study's findings, the vast majority of healthcare professionals do not know enough about fire safety and how to prepare for a fire. Ensuring a safe hospital workplace requires addressing the gaps in healthcare personnel' knowledge and awareness about fire safety.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Fire Safety Knowledge and Emergency Preparedness Assessment among Health Care Workers at Three Hospitals in Kunene Region, Namibia","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-08-18 22:57:43","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4755019/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2024-07-19T08:26:59+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2024-07-18T08:03:06+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2024-07-18T08:02:14+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"BMC Health Services Research","date":"2024-07-17T09:17:29+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-health-services-research","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"bhsr","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Health Services Research](http://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/BHSR/default.aspx","title":"BMC Health Services Research","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"f8975878-8c19-4053-8b24-c80654eb60f8","owner":[],"postedDate":"August 18th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-01-13T16:02:03+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-4755019","link":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-12211-z","journal":{"identity":"bmc-health-services-research","isVorOnly":false,"title":"BMC Health Services Research"},"publishedOn":"2025-01-10 15:57:00","publishedOnDateReadable":"January 10th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2024-08-18 22:57:43","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1186/s12913-025-12211-z","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-12211-z","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4755019","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4755019","identity":"rs-4755019","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"_2-kVJe1T_tPrBINL-cwx","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}