Understanding Human Behaviors in Fires

Description:

The prediction of human behavior during a fire emergency is one of the most challenging areas of fire protection engineering. Yet, understanding and considering human factors is essential to designing effective evacuation systems, ensuring safety during a fire and related emergency events.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this seminar, the participant will be able to:

  1. Understand the many types of characteristics that may influence occupant performance, reaction and movement process in an emergency situation.
  2. Understand the theory and process of individuals or groups of occupants taking protective actions in the context of the building fire emergency timeline.
  3. Understand how fire effluents can lead to incapacitation of people subject to the hazards of a fire.
  4. Obtain guidance to assist in developing occupant behavioral scenarios as part of a performance-based design
  5. Understand the basic concepts of occupant movement and how to estimate the time for occupants to move to a place of safety or refuge.
  6. Obtain understanding and guidance for the selection of one of the various methods of performing egress calculations.
  7. Develop an understanding of the various sources of uncertainty in human behavior analysis.
  8. Understand how people process emergency warning information and examine factors that may inhibit the process.
  9. Consider the numerous factors that play roles in the use of evacuation, relocation, and protect-in-place strategies when deciding how building occupants can best be safeguarded during fire emergencies