Knowledge of fire protection equipment and the fire risk perception of undergraduates and graduates in chemistry—A questionnaire survey to provide effective fire safety education

Abstract

Few studies have been reported on the knowledge of fire-protection equipment and fire-risk perception of first-year university students. In the present work, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted to investigate the knowledge of fire protection equipment and fire risk perception of undergraduates and graduates belonging to chemical departments. Survey results clearly indicated that most students had a great sense of dread and that few students considered fireinduced smoke and toxic gases as fire hazards. Few undergraduates knew the location of fire protection equipment such as fire extinguishers, indoor fire hydrants, and emergency staircases in the respondent's university building. Furthermore,the percentage of the interviewed students who precisely knew the flash points of commonly-used organic solvents (ethanol, diethyl ether, n-heptane, acetone, and ethyl acetate) was low.