Kindling

Kindling received a grant from the Fire Safety Research Institute to advance fire safety in vulnerable communities through three main areas: scientific fire experiments to understand fire behavior in informal settlements, a Cape Town-based community pilot project for tailored fire safety solutions, and development open-access educational resources for global dissemination. This collaboration aims to provide data-driven guidance to support fire safety improvements in high-risk settings worldwide. The grant period runs from August 15, 2023 through December 31, 2024.

Kindling conducted a comprehensive fire safety assessment in the State of Uttarakhand, India, focusing on improving fire safety and resilience in healthcare and education buildings. This project, undertaken in collaboration with the World Bank, aimed to analyze the existing fire safety ecosystem, including regulations, enforcement mechanisms, and operational practices. The work included a detailed review of policies and stakeholder engagement, with over 80 hours of interviews and case studies in Dehradun. Data collected through technical reviews and field assessments revealed critical gaps, such as insufficient regulatory enforcement, lack of functional fire safety systems, and limited capacity of local fire services. Key achievements include identifying systemic vulnerabilities, providing recommendations to strengthen fire safety governance, and emphasizing the need for enhanced training and competency frameworks for fire safety personnel. The findings informed practical strategies for integrating fire safety upgrades into future disaster risk management investments, demonstrating Kindling's ability to address fire safety challenges in complex, resource-constrained environments. These efforts highlight the organization's commitment to reducing fire risks and protecting vulnerable populations through evidence-based, scalable solutions.

Kindling received a grant from the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK). The Diversifying Governance of Fire Risk and Safety project focused on reducing fire risks for marginalized communities in Cape Town, South Africa, and Dhaka, Bangladesh. By engaging over 75 stakeholders through roundtable discussions, interviews, and community dialogues, the project captured diverse perspectives on fire safety challenges. It highlighted how informal settlements face unique risks due to limited infrastructure and social inequalities and demonstrated how community-led practices, like local fire response teams, fill gaps left by formal systems. The project also examined systemic failures in governance and provided practical recommendations to improve fire safety through collaboration between residents, NGOs, and government actors. Its ultimate goal was to reduce fire risks by creating more inclusive, community-driven approaches to fire safety that can be scaled to other vulnerable areas. This work underscores Kindling's commitment to addressing fire risks in ways that are equitable, practical, and grounded in local realities.

Kindling contributed to the investigation of the Moria refugee camp fire by conducting a fire spread analysis to assess the likelihood of fire transmission via radiation and firebrands. Using simplified desktop calculations, Kindling evaluated factors such as fire size, wind speed, and heat transfer mechanisms to determine if the fire could spread from the central camp to an adjacent overspill settlement. This analysis supported Forensic Architecture's broader investigation by providing critical fire engineering insights into the fire dynamics and potential spread mechanisms, helping to frame the findings within the context of the camp's structural and environmental conditions.

Kindling played a crucial role in advancing fire safety in humanitarian contexts through its contributions to the Global Shelter Cluster Fire Risk Reduction Guidance and State of Fire Safety in Humanitarian Shelter and Settlements report. These projects marked the first coordinated effort to assess and map fire risks in crisis-affected shelters globally. Kindling's work included synthesizing data, conducting desktop analyses, and engaging practitioners to identify systemic gaps and propose practical, scalable fire safety solutions tailored to diverse settlement typologies. These efforts have laid the foundation for improved governance, advocacy, and implementation of fire risk reduction strategies, demonstrating Kindling's expertise in addressing complex fire safety challenges in humanitarian settings

Internal research, communications, planning for impact.