Tendency-based behavioural profile of occupants in case of fire

Abstract

The importance of human behaviour in evacuation situations is recognized by all those who are in any way involved in fire safety in buildings, as evidenced by the high number of studies and research projects that have been developed. This communication presents the results of a research project that resulted in a doctoral thesis, whose objective was to predict this behaviour and analyse the factors that most strongly influence it. In this work, the information supporting the conclusions was obtained from 4 types of surveys targeting different groups of people (individuals who have experienced a fire situation, participants in evacuation exercises, the general public, and firefighters involved in firefighting and rescue operations). In total, over a thousand surveys were appropriately filled out, from which, after analysis and statistical treatment, a trending profile of occupants' behaviour in case of fire was created. Using an evacuation simulation model, the impact of this profile on the total evacuation time was evaluated in different buildings that were specifically designed for the study. This communication presents the fundamental results of this study, including conclusions on what needs to be methodologically changed in approaching the topic to incorporate the knowledge acquired from this work in the future.