- Author
-
Nash, R. A.
- Title
- International Passenger Ship Fire Protection Design.
- Coporate
- Worcester Polytechnic Inst., MA
- Report
-
Thesis
May 1991
182 p.
- Keywords
-
ships
|
fire protection
|
regulations
|
egress
|
computer models
|
evacuation
- Identifiers
- EVACNET+
- Abstract
- This thesis reviews the history of international passenger ship fire protection design, including regulations prescribed by the International Maritime Organization's "Safety of Life at Sea" (SOLAS) Conventions of 1929, 1948, 1960 and 1974. Selected passenger ship fires are analyzed to identify failures in the fire protection design. Significant failures and regulatory shortcomings are identified in egress system design with regard to hazard containment and notification of passengers. No methodology exists under SOLAS design standards to determine if an egress system assures the protection of passengers and crew aboard these ships. Based upon casualty analysis, a new philosophy is proposed for the fire protection design of international passenger ships; specifically, protection of the passengers. A qualitative method using success tree logic is developed to analyze egress system design with an explicit purpose of providing adequate means of egress for passengers and crew in the case of fire. EVACNET+, a computer model for simulating evacuation of a structure, is reviewed and applied to the passenger ship situation for use in analyzing egress system capacity. Due to the user's level of input in creating a given evacuation model, extensive discussion regarding the factors affecting evacuation and model use is included. An example is also provided.