Human Behaviour under Fire Situations – A case –study in the Portuguese Society

Human Behaviour under Fire Situations – A case –study in the Portuguese Society

Elisabete Cordeiro1, António Leça Coelho2

1

PhD Student, Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia Universidade de Coimbra, Rua Luís Reis Santos - Pólo II, 3030-788 Coimbra, PORTUGAL;

2

Principal Investigator, National Laboratory of Civil Engineering;

e-mail:

[email protected];

[email protected];

ABSTRACT

Among possible emergency situations, those that very likely will mostly affect human behavior are the ones related to fire, due to the many reasons associated with its initiation.

The prediction of the human behavior in the reply to a fire situation requires an integrated system that involves the people, the building and the fire. It is expectable that people will answer differently to distinct and varying fire situations, which will depend on a diverse range of factors.

This paper summarizes a case-study on the human behavior under fire situations, based on the analysis of data collected through a questionnaire, applied to the Portuguese population nationwide. There were 14 questions related to fire, to which 225 answers were obtained.

Within these 225 answers, 50 originated from people that actually experienced or were involved in a fire situation.

The study was already able to point out some trends in the behavioral analysis. However, it is not ready to fully support the development of a simulation model capable of estimating the pre-movement time. With this purpose, other questionnaires are being designed, which will be associated with results gathered from the observation of a number of real-life simulated evacuation scenarios.

1. INTRODUCTION

The analysis of the implications of people's behavior under fire conditions has been studied for several years

.

Some years ago the development of a buildings fire risk analysis model, called MARIE, was started in Portugal, consisting of eleven partial models

.

Although a complete implementation of MARIE is still far from being a reality, some

preliminary work has been done, highlighting the descriptor of the building model (DEM) and

the evacuation model (MMO). As regards the MMO at the time of its development some

aspect were not considered, or they were treated with extreme simplicity, among which are

those related to people's behavior. When considering a building evacuation it can be

considered the existence of three distinct phases. The first phase begins when the fire starts

until it is detected. The second phase is related with the time between the occupants being

aware of the fire and their decision to leave the building. Finally, the third phase starts when

the evacuation process itself begins and ends when every occupant has left the building. The

MNO simulates in detail the third phase, but ignores what happens before the occupants have deciding to leave the building.

For this reason it was considered important to initiate a study that could lead to the construction of a model that simulates the second phase to be integrated in the MMO.

In a review of different simulation models of evacuation there are some who seek to model human behavior, but the methodology used in most cases is extremely simple, by introducing some rules that don’t make a real modeling of people’s behavior according to their characteristics and knowledge

. This behavior depends on the characteristics of the occupants themselves (physical, psychic and cognitive characteristics), of the buildings (type of use, geometrical characteristics, the existence of an organization and security management) and of the fire (visibility conditions, radiation, temperature and toxic gases concentration).

The analysis and the prediction of human behavior in response to a fire situation require an integrated system that involves people, the building and the fire. People respond in a distinct way to different fire situations, depending on several factors.

Although there is some randomness in the human behavior in a fire situation, it is possible to implement standardization according to some factors.

 The knowledge of human behavior under a fire situation may be attained by resorting to the following methods:

 appropriate questionnaire;

 fire drill analysis;

In the following chapter, the main conclusions of this first phase of the study are summarized, both about the sample’s characterization and the actions/reactions of the respondents.

2. SUMMARY OF THE INVESTIGATION ANALYSIS

2.1. Characterization of the sample 2.1.1. Overall characterization

In this first phase of the study the sample in question, formed by 225 respondents, has some characteristics that, in a way, are adjusted to the Portuguese reality, namely gender, age group and fire safety training.

Thus, relatively to gender, the sample is formed from 50.2% of women and 49.8% of men.

Relatively to the age of the respondents, it is verified that they are between 17 and 78 years old, with an average of 35.96 years old, meaning that the sample is in accordance with the national trend (in the last census, the national average was 39.09 years old). On the other hand, in the universe of the 225 respondents, only 72 have training in fire safety and just 19 make an annual recycle, fact that is also in accordance with the Portuguese reality.

It must be noted that there are some aspects of the sample that deviate from the Portuguese

society characteristics. Regarding education levels, the sample does not represent the

country’s reality, because more than 50% of the respondents have university education, a

percentage that far exceeds the national reality.

It will be necessary to evaluate, in later stages of the study, if this incongruence with the actual population influences the final conclusions and seek which new surveys reflect with more reliability the education level of the national population.

2.1.2. Characterization in subjects related with fire safety

Result of the publication of new legislation in the area of the fire safety, Portugal is experiencing important modifications regarding the organization and management of the fire safety in buildings and the generalization of training and awareness of the occupants, fact that can have consequences in their future behavior.

Regarding fire safety training it was found that a significant percentage of the respondents (65%) don’t have any training in this area.

Still reflecting the current state of the organization and management of fire safety in the country, it was conclude that 63% of the respondents are unaware of the evacuation plans of the buildings they attend; which may can be explained by the fact of the generality of the buildings have not yet implemented these plans. Concerning the ability of the respondents to identify the emergency exit it is verified that 96.89% state that they are capable of that identification, percentage that significantly drops regarding its localization in the buildings they attend, because only 55.56% declare to have that knowledge.

Finally, we emphasize the fact that 50 of the 225 respondents had already been confronted with a fire situation, a fact that is relevant to establish correlations with those who have never had such an experience.

2.2. Influence on the reactions of the relation of the respondents with the building

In this first phase of the study a general analysis to the answers received was conducted. An additional analysis was also carried out in which the influence of certain characteristics of the respondents (gender, age, fire safety training and education levels) was evaluated.

Before initiating this study we had the idea that the reaction of the occupants during a fire could be influenced by the relation they have with the building, fact which was not confirmed in this first phase of the study, because 52.89% of the respondents said they would have the same behavior, while 44.00% stated that it would be different.

Regarding the respondents that had already been involved in a fire, 54% reported that their

reaction would be the same, even if they were on the building they lived, or in the one they

worked or in any other building.

2.3. K The imp fire safe may be question Thus, tr building similar t

Regardi verifies than 35%

The sam respond On the percenta since on

Fig. 1

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Fig. 3. Ide

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g. 5. Ways of A

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Fig. 6. Action

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33%.

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ortuguese bu cupants can of the resp me being b

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“Real fire”.

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es.

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Fig. 7. Interp

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levels, and he three rea

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ndents to fire alarm a ut also on th the response g”, with a p to leave the

ig. 8. Reaction

pretation of the

characteristi introducin d previous ex actions most d previous e only varyin een that the

years old, n the uncerta

levels show high school

the Alarm and detectio he reaction th

es given, it percentage e building”,

n of the occup

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xperience w t mentioned experience w

ng the perc ere is a cha

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l qualificati

m Signal on system d

hat the occu is seen that

of 65%, w , at 15%. A

pant to the ala l

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ence compa ions the se

depends not upants have t the predom which far e All other resp

rm

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ared to the econd most

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minant reac exceeds all

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pointed

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Regardi present to the sm

r to evaluat ignal, an ad training, ag ce the two m dditional ana o significan ncies. The m

re not signif ing the influ se with high

Reactions r to underst behavior of 04 responde nt reaction “

he fire” wi ncies.

question, it fire do not h dents with analysis of out of the b dents withou ut of the bu ing the edu

a pattern of mall numbe

te the influe dditional an ge group, e most given r alysis show nt influence most signific

ficant on the uence of ed h school qua s of respo

tand the inf occupants, ents answer

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is noted th have a signif

fire safety responses.

building”, w ut fire safet uilding”, wi ucation leve f responses er of such re

ence of the alysis was c education l responses.

wed that gen on the res cant variati e overall res ducation lev

alifications, ndents du fluence of lo the inquiry r to this qu er way to g with all ot

Fig. 9. R

hat gender, a ficant influe training ha 56% of tho while 32%

ty training, ith 70%, and els, it is see

significantl esponders in

characteris carried out levels, prev nder, age gr sponses, wi

ons are rela sults.

vels, it is see

“None” (14 ue to the p ow visibilit

contained a uestion. Of get out of th

ther respon

Reaction to th

age group, ence on the ave some d ose with trai

preferred “ the most gi d in second en that resp ly different n this partic

stics of occu introducing vious exper roup, and p th just a sl ative to the en that the s 4%).

presence o ty on evacu

a question o 204 respon he building nses having

he smoke

education l responses g different rea

ining gave t

“Investigate iven respon d place “Inv pondents w from all th ular questio

upants on t g variables s rience with previous exp

ight change residual ac second resp

of smoke ation pathw on this matte nses given,

”, followed g merely r

levels and p given.

actions, whe the respons e to fight th nse was also vestigate to

ith high sch he others, bu

on.

their reactio such as gen h a fire, ha perience wi e in the pe ctions, but, ponse most

ways, due to er.

65% show d by “Inves

residual pe

previous ex en compare e “Try anot he fire”. Re o “Try anot

fight the fir hool qualif ut that migh

on to the nder, fire aving as ith a fire

rcentage as such, given is,

o smoke, as most tigate to rcentage

perience ed to the

ther way

egarding

ther way

re”, with

fications,

ht be due

2.11. R The beh as when warning Trying t seen tha of the b

The add have lit experien Regardi by “Ask of the b 3. CO When k building Howeve time los this issu not supp For the even wi being th This ini used to populati

 T

 T



Reactions havior of pe n they only g or even by

to evaluate at 57% of r

uilding”, fo

ditional anal ttle influen nce with a f ing gender, k for help” w

uilding”.

NCLUSIO knowing tha

g, rather hav er, although st due to su ue introduci ported quan developme ith the unc his study the

itial phase o o office bu

ion, some o The high pr The little re Some conse

s of respo eople when y know ab y seeing smo

such influe espondents ollowed by “

lysis shows ce on the fire show m it is seen th while for m

N AND FU at a fire is t ving reactio h this behav uch actions, ing a time ntitatively by

ent of a sim certainty the

e first step i of the study uildings (wo of them diffe robability o elevance of equences of

ndents fac confronted out the fire oke or flam ence on beh would reac

“Ask for he

Fig. 10

s that gende responses g more influenc hat the most men it is “Fig

URTHER S aking place ons whose c vior is well

in spite of delay at the y any evide mulation mo ere is, that in Portugal t y is focused orkplaces), erent from t f panic occu the fact that f age in the r

ce to a dir directly wi e by hearin mes.

havior, the i ct to that di elp” (22%) a

0. Reaction to

er, fire safety given to th

ce.

t given resp ght the fire”

STUDIES e, not all oc

onsequence known, the the fact tha e beginning ence on scie

odel that q the behavi towards suc d exclusivel and it sho those expec urring durin at the occupa

reaction to

rect conta ith a fire wil ng an alarm

nquiry had irect contac and “Fight t

the fire.

y training, a his question

ponse by wo

” followed b

ccupants dec es will incre ere haven’t at some sim g of the eva entific studie quantifies th

oral pattern ch goal.

ly on the an ows severa cted, which

ng a fire.

ant knows t some situat

ct with the ll not be, m m signal, b a question t by “Try o the fire” wit

age group a n, whilst ge omen is “Tu by “Try ano

cide, immed ease the eva

been studi mulation mo acuation, w es.

his time del n of occupa nalysis of a al patterns are now enu the building tions.

e fire most likely, t

by somebod on that mat other way to

th 17%.

and educatio ender and p urn back”, f other way to

diately, to l acuation tim

ies to determ odels try to which noneth

lay, it is ne ants be und an inquiry to

on the Po umerated:

g or not.

the same dy else’s

tter. It is o get out

on levels previous followed o get out

leave the me.

mine the

consider

heless is

ecessary,

derstood,

o people

rtuguese

 Little influence of fire safety training on the knowledge of evacuation pathways.

 Little influence of fire safety training on the choice of evacuation pathways during a fire.

 Little influence of fire safety training on certain reactions by occupants during a fire.

 Prediction of an almost certain widespread panic during a fire.

 Little influence of the fact that the occupant knows the building or not on their reactions during a fire.

 Little influence of previous experience with a fire.

The results presented here must be read carefully, because they only represent the actual state of the study and are therefore still far from what can be considered to characterize the Portuguese behavior in relation to fire safety, being clearly insufficient to achieve the desired simulation model of people’s behavior in case of fire and not to quantify the time wasted on the actions developed by the occupants before deciding to leave the building.

Thus, it becomes necessary to expand the universe of analysis, with the development of new campaigns for data acquisition.

To follow up this study the original survey was reformulated and it was initiated a second round of data collecting that evolved users and staff of two big shopping centers of the city of Lisbon and the fire drill analysis that will, later on, be analyzed.

The study will be extended to different kinds of buildings so that we can collect enough information to make the model of general use and not just to a particularly application.

Therefore, there will be the need to distribute the survey to buildings like hotels, health related, education related, sports related and others, in addition to analyzing simulations that may occur in those buildings.

Finally it is stated that another study is being developed, in Portugal, based on multi-agent systems, using the concept of serious games with an interactive virtual environment that allows collecting user’s profiles and that will afterwards be used as towards the behavior model.

4. REFERENCES

1. BRYAN, John L., “Cultural Variations in the Behavior of People in Fire Situations”, Department of Fire Protection Engineering, University of Maryland, 1978.

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