Understanding Human Behavior in Fire

Starts:  Mar 7, 2022 10:00 (ET)
Ends:  Mar 11, 2022 12:30 (ET)
March 7-11, 2022; Mon, Wed, Fri; 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM EST (UTC -5)

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.

The first module of this course will present the many types of characteristics that may influence occupant performance, reaction and movement process in an emergency situation. It will include a discussion on the Protective Action Decision Model (PADM) and how it serves to inform our understanding of the flow of information to occupants via cues from the fire, building or people in a fire situation and the resultant decision-making processes that influence their protective action responses during the fire incident. Discussions will also address exposure to toxicants, irritants, heat and visibility loss in a fire and the potential impacts, including additive effects, on the human body at varying degrees of exposure.

The second module will focus on modeling human behavior in fire and will include a discussion on the development and selection of occupant behavioral scenarios. The module will also discuss the many considerations that affect the choice of a particular calculation approach or model, such as project data needed, model input data needed, complexity of scenario(s), detail of output needed, and need to assess the impact of behavioral assumptions.

The third module will discuss fire situation management and will include discussions on enhancing human response to emergency notification and messaging and managing the movement of occupants during fire emergencies.

All live instructor-led sessions are recorded and provided to the attendees in the course.