The relationship between knowledge and disaster preparedness of undergraduates responding to forest fires

Forest and land fires are disasters that regularly occur on the island of Kalimantan, Indonesia. Higher education students on the island of Kalimantan are considered vulnerable to these disasters, hence the need for mandatory disaster knowledge and preparedness for every individual in the area. This research aimed to: (1) determine disaster knowledge and student preparedness in dealing with forest and land fire disasters, (2) determine the relationship between knowledge and student preparedness. This study used a quantitative correlation method with a questionnaire. The data were processed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 21. The research sample used purposive sampling because it followed the needs of the study, which involved 300 students affected by forest fires, representing three universities located in a forest fire–prone area in West Kalimantan province, Indonesia. Each campus has 100 students, a total of 300 students. The results showed as many as 284 students had experienced forest and land fire disasters. In addition, 202 out of 284 students were known to have low disaster knowledge. Four main parameters of disaster preparedness were used to measure student preparedness, namely (1) knowledge and attitudes, (2) emergency response plans, (3) disaster warning system and (4) resource mobilisation. The number of students with high preparedness was 141, while 143 had low preparedness. Thus, student preparedness measures need to be increased to avoid disaster impact. CONTRIBUTION: Based on the data analysis, students’ knowledge and preparedness to face forest fires are positively related. It was shown that the higher the learning of students, the higher their readiness and vice versa. It is suggested that there is a need for increasing knowledge and preparedness actions for students in dealing with forest fire disasters through regular disaster lectures, simulations and training so that they can make the right decisions in coping with disasters.