Fire Risk Reduction Consultant

Fire Risk Reduction Assessment and Recommendations Terms of Reference   Purpose of Mission:  In recognition of the significant risks facing the Syrian refugees residing in substandard accommodation and the large burden on Lebanon’s overstretched Fire Response and Prevention services, a team from Save the Children Lebanon, comprising fire prevention experts with experience in similar residential environments, will work closely with the Department of Civil Defense to review and strengthen the resources and mechanisms in place in order to protect the vulnerable Syrian refugee populations from fire related death and injury, in a range of accommodation settings across North, Central and Southern Lebanon.  Objective: The objective of the assessment is to undertake, jointly with the Civil Defense, a situation and needs assessment study to include conclusions and recommendations to support the reduction of fire related death and injury amongst the most vulnerable Syrian Refugee population in Lebanon. Context: As the conflict in Syria enters its fifth year, political insecurity and instability have continued to force Syrians to flee their homes to neighboring countries. As a result, 1,070,189 refugees are currently registered in Lebanon.[1] This is a huge number for Lebanon, a small country with a population of just over 4 million people, which already hosts the highest refugee population per capita in the world. The dramatically increasing number of refugees arriving in Lebanon is threatening to destabilize the country and putting a huge strain on basic services including Fire Response and Prevention services. Statistics from various sources of information show that many ad-hoc fires broke out in informal settlements in the South of Lebanon in July 2015, where a toddler was killed in a fire broke in an informal tented settlement. In Bekaa in February 2016,  two children died in a tragic fire in another informal tented settlement in the Bekaa. It has only been possible to gather a limited amount of information on the actual causes of fires in the informal settlements. However, open fires, kerosene stoves and lamps are known fire hazards in many settlements. Other causes include open fires for burning solid waste, candles, smokers’ materials and faulty electrical equipment. Unfortunately, many appear to be due to carelessness. Duration: 4 weeks in-country 2 weeks remote finalization and write up Governance: Managed by Save the Children Answerable to the Temporary Technical Committee for Fire Risk Reduction (TTC-FRR) Qualifications: External Fire Prevention Expert – This person will be selected based on their experience in assessing and implementing guidelines, policies and plans for environments that are similar to the context. These being; Adhoc or Temporary shelters (Caravan/Prefab/Trainer Parks/Camp sites) Work in socio-economically poor low rise housing Rural and Peri-urban settings Volunteer firefighting – community based trainings and capacity building. Thorough knowledge of Firefighter and Fire Appliance Access to ensure response activities is achievable Hazard Identification Provision and Maintenance of firefighting equipment Development and Implementation of emergency management plans Regulations, Policy and Legislation The ability to be adaptive to the limitations and context of a less than optimal situation and standards. Solution orientated. Methodology: The following methodology is suggested as a process for undertaking the work. Guidance and Governance by the Temporary Technical Committee on Fire Risk Reduction. Recommended scheduled meetings: Initial meeting for consultants to present approach and hear committees priorities (Week 1) Hazard, Vulnerability and Capacity Profile presentation (within 2 weeks) Preliminary Recommendations presentation (week 3) Final report sign- off. (week 4) Individual and focus group discussions with representatives of the CSMCs Child focus group discussions Desktop review of Civil Defense response procedures Individual interviews of Civil Defense Personnel 5 Fire Department visits – to assess response capability and equipment suitability 15 Informal Site inspections (selected for indicative representation of situation) 20 Substandard Building inspections (selected for indicative representation of situation) 3 commercial Fire Fighting Equipment Vendors 3 Private Firefighting service/training providers 3 Meetings with UNHCR’s Head of Shelter (Field office Level), Shelter/Site improvement Implementing partner program managers and CSMC co-leads. ½ day Discovery workshop with INGO implementing agencies Individual interviews with Ministry of Social Affairs ½ day Discovery workshop with UN responsible agencies, UN Habitat, UNHCR, UNICEF Individual meetings with the Ministry of Education on Disaster Risk Reduction topics taught in schools Meeting with the Ministry of Interior, Head of Civil Defense and Ministry of Social Affairs, Disaster Risk Reduction Management Unit at the Prime Minister Office. Deliverables: The final deliverable will be a joint report between the external consultant and the Civil Defense which is accepted by the appropriate bodies involved in the Refugee crisis within Lebanon. The Final report will include;  Foreward Context Analysis Recommended Definitions Hazard, Vulnerability and Capacity Profile of both informal settlements and substandard buildings used for housing by the refugee population Recommendations on key stakeholder responsibilities Recommended adoption of existing prescriptive measures in accordance with Lebanese regulations Recommendations on training/capacity building in fire safety (prevention and response) – minimum topics to be covered, minimum % of residents to be involved Recommendations on provision of fire safety materials (what? How many? How often? How to monitor and replenish?) Recommendations for alternative solution process Recommended performance measures and key performance indicators Completed Emergency Management Plan incorporating Risk Assessment, preparedness and Preventative measures and response procedures Phased Fire Risk Reduction Plan based on Profile List of other recommended resource materials (information leaflet for refugees) Indicative Budget for Phased plan. Annex of data collected and relevant data analyzed materials