Fire safety for people in informal settlements

Nader, Medair's distribution assistant conducts a brief fire awareness session on the use of fire extinguishers at a tented settlement in Bar Elias, the Bekaa Valley on the 13th of June 2023.

Lebanon | 2023 | CBPF

Lebanon, Bekaa valley. Every summer, the Bekaa Valley faces the tent fire season. These are a significant threat to families who, having fled conflict in Syria, are often sheltering in tents and other informal settlements.

With funding from the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund, Medair has brought fire safety classes, as well as fire extinguishers, to those at-risk communities.

Nader, the Medair program officer, meets with community leaders and asks them to get families together to join a learning session. “I teach them how to use the fire extinguisher, and also how to regularly check that it’s still functional by checking the pressure,” Nader explains.

Nader also talks about fire safety and how to minimize risk. This includes keeping children away from hazards and arranging the home to keep the cooking fire away from dangerous materials.

The fire extinguishers are distributed to community focal points who are trained in their use. Khadija, a mother and fire safety focal point, explains that, “I feel more secure. With these skills, I know I can protect my family if a fire breaks out.”

Adapted from original stories from Medair and the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund.

For more information: visit the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund website to find real-time contribution and allocation data on the POOLED FUNDS DATA HUB.