Participation of Civil Defense Volunteers in Risk Management for Fire Prevention and Mitigation at Nong Chok Fire and Rescue Station, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration

Abstract

                           The objectives of this research were: 1) to examine the level of participation of Civil Defense Volunteers (CDV) in risk management for fire prevention and mitigation at the Nong Chok Fire and Rescue Station, Bangkok; 2) to compare the participation levels of CDVs based on their personal factors; and 3) to explore guidelines for promoting CDV participation in the study area. This study employed a mixed-methods research design. Quantitative data were collected via a questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.96 from a sample of 291 CDVs in the Nong Chok district. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 12 key informants. Statistical analyses included percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, One-Way ANOVA, and Fisher’s LSD post-hoc test for multiple comparisons, with a statistical significance level set at .05.

                The findings revealed that:

1. The overall participation of CDVs in fire risk management was at a high level. When categorized by dimension, the highest mean score was found in monitoring and evaluation, followed by benefit-sharing and operational implementation, while the lowest mean score was in decision-making.
2. Hypothesis testing indicated that differences in gender, age, occupation, education, and monthly income significantly affected participation levels at the .05 level. However, no significant difference was found regarding years of service experience.
3. Guidelines for promoting participation included: (1) spatial management emphasizing precise coordinates and water sources; (2) disaster management processes focusing on fuel reduction (pre-disaster), Incident Command Systems (during disaster), and After-Action Reviews (post-disaster); and (3) building trust between professional firefighters and volunteers. A key success factor is for the fire station to transition into a "facilitator" role using the STAR principle, which consists of Skill enhancement, Trust-building, Access to technology, and Resource support.