Emergency Communication in Buildings: General Guidance for Message Providers

Issue 67: Emergency Communication in Buildings: General Guidance for Message Providers

By Erica Kuligowski, Ph.D.

At present, many buildings and building campuses in the United States are installing mass notification or emergency communication systems to improve communication between the emergency responders and the public. In the United States, there is little guidance regarding the content and dissemination strategies for emergency messages. The National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code (NFPA 72)¹ begins to provide guidance on message content and dissemination techniques; however, the guidance focuses mainly on messages provided over public address systems.

Additionally, British Standard 5839² discusses emergency messages and dissemination techniques. Some mention is made of the components of message delivery, including the manner in which messages should be delivered (e.g., clear, concise and in a calm and authoritative manner), intelligibility, message duration, and the importance of an alert tone. However, little guidance is given on the specifics of the message, including message content and length, speaking rate, frequency of delivery, and other important aspects of emergency notification.

Overall, message providers, including building managers, emergency personnel, alarm system manufacturers, codes/standards committees, or others responsible for emergency communication, often lack all of the necessary tools, techniques, guidance, and training to effectively provide information to building occupants when an emergency event is imminent or unfolding. This problem exists across all modes of notification, whether visual, audible, tactile, or social networks are employed.

Irrespective of the mode used, it is necessary for emergency communication to be effective in order to facilitate the desired public response. To this end, a National Institute of Standards and Technology Technical Note was recently published presenting general guidance on emergency communication strategies to alert and warn building occupants of impending rapid-onset events in buildings and building campuses in the United States.³ Guidance was based on a consensus of the emergency warning literature,⁴ as well as social theory and expert opinion on human response to emergency information in disasters. This article introduces some of the guidance provided for emergency alerts and warning messages, more specifically, how alerts and warnings should be created, formatted, and disseminated.

There is a distinct difference between an alert and a warning message. An alert is simply meant to grab people’s attention that an emergency is taking place and that there is important information to follow. The purpose of a warning message is to give that important information to building occupants. The literature suggests that it is imperative to disseminate an alert to let building occupants know that a warning message will follow. Regardless of whether the warning message is provided audibly, visually, or via tactile means, an alert is necessary to gain people’s attention and should be provided separately from the warning message.

An alert in a building can take many forms. For audible messages, a sound or series of sounds can be provided. Alternatively, a word or series of words can be audibly provided. In the case of visual alerts, strobe lights or visual signage, for example, can be used to obtain people’s attention in the building. The following bulleted list presents guidance on emergency alerts taken directly from Kuligowski:²

• Alerts should be significantly different from ambient sounds
• Buildings should reduce background noise, if possible, when initiating audible alerts
• If chosen, an alert should be tested for its success in getting occupants’ attention in the event of an emergency and used as part of the building-wide training (this subject is the topic of ongoing research)
• Flashing rather than static lights, preferably one standard color for all buildings, can be used to gain attention to visual warning messages
• Message providers should consider alternative methods to alert building occupants to an emergency: disruption of routine activities, tactile methods, social networks, face-to-face, etc.
• An alert signal should be accompanied by a clear, consistent, concise, and candid warning message

Warnings
Warning messages are meant to inform building occupants on the state of the emergency and what occupants are supposed to do in response to the emergency. Warning messages should be disseminated after an alert signal is given. Guidance is provided² on the message itself, including content, order, structure, and the number of messages that are appropriate. Guidance is also provided based upon the method by which the message will be disseminated; either via audible or visual means. Finally, guidance is also provided on how to disseminate the warning message, including the importance of multiple channels, message repetition, timing, and communication type. Table 1 provides examples of guidance on emergency warning messages. (Please see Kuligowski ² for a full list of guidance on warning messages.)

Table 1: Guidance statements on emergency warnings in buildings for rapid-onset emergencies

This article presents only some of the strategies to alert and warn building occupants of impending rapid-onset events in buildings and building campuses in the United States. Additional guidance statements can be found, with supporting research literature, in the full report.²  A follow-on document will be published to provide more detailed guidance; specifically, message templates based on the emergency type (rapid-onset emergencies only) and technology type, and the ways in which to test the effectiveness of alerts/warnings for a specific building population.

Acknowledgements:

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate, supplemented by The Fire Protection Research Foundation, is currently funding this NIST project on the effectiveness of emergency communication.

Erica Kuligowski is with the National Institute of Standards and Technology

1. NFPA 72 US National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code. Quincy: National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA, 2013.
2. BS 5839-8. Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems for Buildings – Part 8: Code Of Practice For The Design, Installation, Commissioning and Maintenance ff Voice Alarm Systems. British Standards Institution, London, 2008.
3. Kuligowski, E. "General Guidance on Emergency Communication Strategies for Buildings." Technical Note 1779, National Institute of Standards and Technology: Gaithersburg, MD., 2013.
4. Kuligowski, E., Gwynne, S. Butler, K., Hoskins, B. and Sandler, C.. "Developing Emergency Communication Strategies for Buildings." Technical Note 1733, National Institute of Standards and Technology: Gaithersburg, MD., 2012.

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