Ensuring fire safety is crucial in buildings such as educational institutions. The bulk of people in Schools are children and adolescents, who can be easily startled and challenging to manage during emergencies or crises. Appropriate management may be required to address this issue and prevent further accidents. In Nepal, inadequate attention to fire safety stemming from poor infrastructure, weak building code enforcement, and rapid urbanization endangers lives and fosters fear in educational settings. Addressing these concerns is crucial to safeguard the future of children and ensure that public schools operate safely and effectively. This study aimed to identify the present status of fire safety components, evaluate the challenges to implement fire safety components, and suggest possible remedial measures to overcome encounter challenge in public school buildings in Kathmandu Valley under DRSP project. 99 completed filled respondents out of 115 from eleven public school building projects under DRSP project to identify the current state of fire safety components and challenges to implementing fire safety components in separate schools. The data collected was then analyzed by the Bloom cutoff by using Excel, SEM model by Smart PLS for statistical analysis and Delphi Interview Method for thematic analysis. This study determined the present status of fire safety components in public school building were moderated level from the perception of contractors, consultant project managers and Site Engineers. Similarly, the assessment of fire safety in public school buildings under the DRSP project in Kathmandu Valley revealed a moderate level of preparedness, with most respondents categorizing the current status as moderate (40.41%), followed by high (32.32%) and low (27.27%). A comprehensive checklist indicated that while many schools meet the basic fire safety requirements, significant challenges persist, including inadequate emergency exits, obstructed access roads, and financial constraints hindering upgrades. Similarly, Financial Challenge as major challenge with t -value 4.787 and technical challenge as second major challenge with t- value of 4.428 encounter in study area. Delphi interviews identified key remedial measures, emphasizing government grants, NGO partnerships, and community involvement to enhance funding for fire safety. Additionally, regulatory updates, compliance training, and public awareness initiatives were recommended to improve adherence to fire safety standards. VII Training programs for staff and integration of fire safety into the curriculum were also highlighted as crucial for enhancing awareness among students and the community. Overall, these findings underscore the need for strategic interventions to strengthen fire safetycomponents in public schools within the Kathmandu Valley under DRSP.

Keywords

Fire safety Components, challenge encounter, Bloom cutoff, Structural Equation Model, Delphi Interview Method, Public School Building Project.

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