- Author
-
Rubin, A. I.
|
Cohen, A.
- Title
- Occupant Behavior in Building Fires. Final Report. January-December 1972.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
-
NBS TN 818
February 1974
28 p.
- Distribution
- Available from Government Printing Office Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
-
high rise buildings
|
fire safety
|
occupants
- Abstract
- Fire safety in buildings is important in building design and the formulation of codes and standards. However, an examination of the information concerning the needs of occupants in fire emergencies (as opposed to ensuring a degree of structural integrity for the building) indicates that the scientific information base is woefully inadequate. The increasing prominence of high rise buildings having many occupants intensifies the need for better information about the behavior of occupants during fire emergencies. Fire researchers have indicated that it is often not feasible to evacuate buildings because of time constraints. Instead, designers use techniques such as safe areas within buildings and requiring people to respond differentially, based on their particular location. This approach em phasizes communications and warning systems to transmit messages. These systems such as loud noises or blinking lights should be designed to "take advantage" of the usual responses made by people. Occupants can actively be a part of the fire warning and fighting system instead of being unwilling victims. This possibility is pursued and a human factors approach is taken to suggest some means of better understanding the capabilities of occupants.