Technical Papers
Aug 29, 2018

Effect of Dynamic Emergency Cues on Fire Evacuation Performance in Public Buildings

Publication: Journal of Infrastructure Systems
Volume 24, Issue 4

Abstract

An individual’s perceived risk is an important source for determining responses during a fire evacuation. The level of perceived risk is continuously influenced by an interpretation of the updated emergency information from the surroundings. In this regard, this research aims to model and analyze the effect of perceived risk that changes from observing dynamic emergency cues (i.e., information from the fire itself, other occupants, and facility emergency systems) on evacuation behaviors in public building fire situations using an agent-based modeling approach. The simulation results highlight the difference in the effect of dynamic emergency cues on evacuation performances based on the type of emergency cues and facility layout. In addition, the result emphasizes the necessity of considering the side effects of dynamic emergency cues on the evacuation performance. Using the developed model, this research provides insights into the appropriate use of dynamic emergency information considering the extended influence of perceived risk on evacuation performance.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant (18CTAP-C129748-02) from Technology Advancement Research Program funded by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Korean government.

References

Ahn, S. 2014. “Construction workers’ absence behavior under social influence.” Ph.D. thesis, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Michigan.
Averill, J. D. 2011. “Five grand challenges in pedestrian and evacuation dynamics.” In Pedestrian and evacuation dynamics, 1–11. New York: Springer.
Averill, J. D., D. Mileti, R. Peacock, E. Kuligowski, N. Groner, G. Proulx, P. Reneke, and H. Nelson. 2007. “Federal investigation of the evacuation of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.” In Pedestrian and Evacuation Dynamics 2005, 1–12. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer.
Axtell, R. L., and J. M. Epstein. 1994. “Agent-based modeling: Understanding our creations.” Bull. Santa Fe Inst. 9 (2): 28–32.
Bonabeau, E. 2002. “Agent-based modeling: Methods and techniques for simulating human systems.” Supplement, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 99 (S3): 7280–7287. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.082080899.
Bramble, D. M., and D. E. Lieberman. 2004. “Endurance running and the evolution of Homo.” Nature 432 (7015): 345–352. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03052.
Bunea, G., F. Leon, and G. M. Atanasiu. 2016. “Postdisaster evacuation scenarios using multiagent system.” J. Comput. Civ. Eng. 30 (6): 05016002. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CP.1943-5487.0000575.
Capote, J., D. Alvear, and A. Cuesta. 2011. “Designing behavioural scenarios for the evacuation analysis of a civic centre.” In Proc., Int. Scientific and Technical Conf. Emergency Evacuation of people from Buildings. Sakarya, Turkey: Association of Science, Education and Technology.
Choi, M., S. Lee, M. Park, and H. Lee. 2017. “Understanding dynamic risk perception in large-scale infrastructure evacuations using an interactive simulation.” In Proc., MAIREINFRA 2017. Iowa City, IA: International Society for Maintenance and Rehabilitation of Transportation Infrastructures.
Choi, M., M. Park, H. S. Lee, S. Hwang, K. Anderson, and S. Lee. 2016. “Understanding the role of dynamic risk perception during fire evacuations using agent-based modeling.” In Proc., Construction Research Congress 2016, 1669–1679. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Chu, J. C., and C. Y. Yeh. 2011. “Emergency evacuation guidance design for complex building geometries.” J. Infrastruct. Syst. 18 (4): 288–296. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)IS.1943-555X.0000080.
Chu, M. L. 2015. “A computational framework incorporating human and social behaviors for occupant-centric egress simulation.” Ph.D. dissertation, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford Univ.
Chu, M. L., X. Pan, and K. Law. 2011. “Incorporating social behaviors in egress simulation.” In Proc., 2011 Computing in Civil Engineering Workshop, 19–22. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Dash, N., and H. Gladwin. 2007. “Evacuation decision making and behavioral responses: Individual and household.” Nat. Hazards Rev. 8 (3): 69–77. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1527-6988(2007)8:3(69).
Day, R. C., L. M. Hulse, and E. R. Galea. 2013. “Response phase behaviours and response time predictors of the 9/11 world trade center evacuation.” Fire Technol. 49 (3): 657–678. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-012-0282-9.
Deutsch, M., and H. B. Gerard. 1955. “A study of normative and informational social influences upon individual judgement.” J. Abnormal Soc. Psychol. 51 (3): 629–636. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0046408.
Epstein, J. M., and R. Axtell. 1996. Growing artificial societies: Social science from the bottom up. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.
Fang, J., S. El-Tawil, and B. Aguirre. 2016. “New agent-based egress model allowing for social relationships.” J. Comput. Civ. Eng. 30 (4): 04015066. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CP.1943-5487.0000532.
Festinger, L. 1954. “A theory of social comparison processes.” Hum. Relat. 7 (2): 117–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872675400700202.
Galea, E. R., and J. P. Galparsoro. 1994. “A computer-based simulation model for the prediction of evacuation from mass-transport vehicles.” Fire Saf. J. 22 (4): 341–366. https://doi.org/10.1016/0379-7112(94)90040-X.
Gershon, R., L. Magda, H. Riley, and M. Sherman. 2012. “The World Trade Center evacuation study: Factors associated with initiation and length of time for evacuation.” Fire Mater. 36 (5–6): 481–500. https://doi.org/10.1002/Fam.1080.
Gwynne, S. 2000. “The introduction of adaptive social decision-making in the mathematical modelling of egress behavior.” Doctoral dissertation, School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, Univ. of Greenwich.
Gwynne, S. 2012. Translating behavioral theory of human response into modeling practice. Gaithersburg, MD: National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Hajibabai, L., M. R. Delavar, M. R. Malek, and A. U. Frank. 2007. “Agent-based simulation of spatial cognition and wayfinding in building fire emergency evacuation.” In Geomatics solutions disaster management, 255–270. Berlin: Springer.
Helbing, D., I. Farkas, and T. Vicsek. 2000. “Simulating dynamical features of escape panic.” Nature 407 (6803): 487–490. https://doi.org/10.1038/35035023.
Heliövaara, S. 2007. “Computational models for human behavior in fire evacuations.” Master’s thesis, Dept. of Engineering Physics and Mathematics, Helsinki Univ. of Technology.
IMO (International Maritime Organization). 2007. Guidelines for evacuation analyses for new and existing passenger ships. London: IMO.
Jeon, G. Y., J. Y. Kim, W. H. Hong, and G. Augenbroe. 2011. “Evacuation performance of individuals in different visibility conditions.” Build. Environ. 46 (5): 1094–1103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2010.11.010.
Joo, J., N. Kim, R. A. Wysk, L. Rothrock, Y. J. Son, Y. G. Oh, and S. Lee. 2013. “Agent-based simulation of affordance-based human behaviors in emergency evacuation.” Simul. Modell. Pract. Theory 32: 99–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.simpat.2012.12.007.
Kinateder, M. T., E. D. Kuligowski, P. A. Reneke, and R. D. Peacock. 2015. “Risk perception in fire evacuation behavior revisited: Definitions, related concepts, and empirical evidence.” Fire Sci. Rev 4 (1): 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40038-014-0005-z.
Kobes, M., I. Helsloot, B. De Vries, and J. G. Post. 2010. “Building safety and human behaviour in fire: A literature review.” Fire Saf. J. 45 (1): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2009.08.005.
Korhonen, T., and S. Hostikka. 2015. Fire dynamics simulator with evacuation: FDS+ Evac. Technical reference and user’s guide. Espoo, Finland: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.
Kuligowski, E. D. 2011. “Terror defeated: occupant sensemaking, decision-making and protective action in the 2001 World Trade Center disaster.” Ph.D. thesis, Dept. of Sociology, Univ. of Colorado.
Kuligowski, E. D., and D. S. Mileti. 2009. “Modeling pre-evacuation delay by occupants in World Trade Center Towers 1 and 2 on September 11, 2001.” Fire Saf. J. 44 (4): 487–496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2008.10.001.
Latané, B., and J. Darely. 1970. The unresponsive bystander: Why doesn’t he act? New York: Meredith Cooperation.
Lee, H. Y. 2012. “Using a guiding network to determine efficient evacuation routes in a public building.” J. Infrastruct. Syst. 19 (3): 243–251. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)IS.1943-555X.0000127.
Lovreglio, R., E. Ronchi, and D. Nilsson. 2016. “An evacuation decision model based on perceived risk, social influence and behavioural uncertainty.” Simul. Modell. Pract. Theory 66: 226–242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.simpat.2016.03.006.
Luo, L., S. Zhou, W. Cai, M. Y. H. Low, F. Tian, Y. Wang, and D. Chen. 2008. “Agent-based human behavior modeling for crowd simulation.” Comput. Anim. Virtual Worlds 19 (3–4): 271–281.
MBN (Maeil Broadcasting Network). 2014. “8 deaths from fire in Goyang bus terminal.” Accessed March 20, 2014. http://mbn.mk.co.kr/pages/news/newsView.php?category=mbn00009&news_seq_no=1809661.
McGrattan, K., S. Hostikka, and J. E. Floyd. 2010. “Fire dynamics simulator (version 5), user’s guide.” NIST Spec. Publ. 1019 (5): 1–186.
National Fire Protection Association. 2016. Fire loss in the United States during 2014. Quincy, MA: NFPA, Research & Reports.
Nilsson, D., and A. Johansson. 2009. “Social influence during the initial phase of a fire evacuation—Analysis of evacuation experiments in a cinema theatre.” Fire Saf. J. 44 (1): 71–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2008.03.008.
Okaya, M., M. Southern, and T. Takahashi. 2013. “Dynamic information transfer and sharing model in agent based evacuation simulations.” In Proc., 2013 Int. Conf. on Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems, 1295–1296. Liverpool, UK: 41. International Foundation for Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems.
Pan, X., C. S. Han, K. Dauber, and K. H. Law. 2007. “A multi-agent based framework for the simulation of human and social behaviors during emergency evacuations.” Ai Soc. 22 (2): 113–132. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-007-0126-1.
Proulx, G. 1991. “Passengers’ behaviour during an underground evacuation.” In Proc., Int. Conf. of the Environmental Design Research Association, 118–125. St. Paul, MN: Environmental Design Research Association.
Proulx, G. 1993. “A stress model for people facing a fire.” J. Environ. Psychol. 13 (2): 137–147. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(05)80146-X.
Proulx, G., and D. J. Sime. 1991. “To prevent panic in an underground emergency: Why not tell people the truth?” In Fire safety science--Proceedings of the third international symposium, C. Cox, and B. Langford, 843–852. London: Elsevier.
Purser, D. A., and M. Bensilum. 2001. “Quantification of behaviour for engineering design standards and escape time calculations.” Saf. Sci. 38 (2): 157–182. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-7535(00)00066-7.
Quanrantelli, E. L. 1979. Panic behavior in fire situations: Findings and a model from the English language research literature. Columbus, OH: Ohio State Univ.
Reneke, P. 2013. Evacuation decision model. Gaithersburg, MD: National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Ronchi, E., E. D. Kuligowski, D. Nilsson, R. D. Peacock, and P. A. Reneke. 2016. “Assessing the verification and validation of building fire evacuation models.” Fire Technol. 52 (1): 197–219. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-014-0432-3.
Ronchi, E., P. Reneke, and R. Peacock. 2013. “A method for the analysis of behavioural uncertainty in evacuation modelling.” Fire Technol. 50 (6): 1545–1571. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-013-0352-7.
Sherman, M., M. Peyrot, L. Magda, and R. Gershon. 2011. “Modeling pre-evacuation delay by evacuees in World Trade Center Towers 1 and 2 on September 11, 2001: A revisit using regression analysis.” Fire Saf. J. 46 (7): 414–424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2011.07.001.
Shi, J., A. Ren, and C. Chen. 2009. “Agent-based evacuation model of large public buildings under fire conditions.” Autom. Constr. 18 (3): 338–347. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2008.09.009.
Sime, J. 1980. Fire and human behavior. New York: Wiley.
Sime, J. 1983. “Affiliative behaviour during escape to building exits.” J. Environ. Psychol. 3 (1): 21–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(83)80019-X.
Withey, S. 1962. “Reaction to uncertain threat.” In Man and society in disaster, 93–123. New York: Basic.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Journal of Infrastructure Systems
Journal of Infrastructure Systems
Volume 24Issue 4December 2018

History

Received: May 30, 2017
Accepted: May 11, 2018
Published online: Aug 29, 2018
Published in print: Dec 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Jan 29, 2019

Permissions

Request permissions for this article.

Authors

Affiliations

Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Building and Real Estate, Hong Kong Polytechnic Univ., 11 Yuk Choi Rd., Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Email: [email protected]
SangHyun Lee, M.ASCE [email protected]
Associate Professor, Tishman Construction Management Program, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Michigan, 2350 Hayward St., Suite 2340 G.G. Brown Bldg., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (corresponding author). Email: [email protected]
Moonseo Park, A.M.ASCE [email protected]
Professor, Dept. of Architecture and Architectural Engineering, Seoul National Univ., 1 Gwanak-ro, Suite 425 Bldg. #39, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Korea. Email: [email protected]
Hyun-Soo Lee, A.M.ASCE [email protected]
Professor, Dept. of Architecture and Architectural Engineering, Seoul National Univ., 1 Gwanak-ro, Suite 425 Bldg. #39, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Korea. Email: [email protected]

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Download citation

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

Cited by

View Options

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Copy the content Link

Share with email

Email a colleague

Share