Abstract
Many research studies have focused on fire evacuation planning. However, because of the uncertainties in fire development, there is no perfect solution. This research proposes a fire evacuation management framework which takes advantage of an information-rich building information modeling (BIM) model and a Bluetooth low energy (BLE)-based indoor real-time location system (RTLS) to dynamically push personalized evacuation route recommendations and turn-by-turn guidance to the smartphone of a building occupant. The risk score (RS) for each possible route is evaluated as a weighted summation of risk level index values of all risk factors for all segments along the route, and the route with the lowest RS is recommended to the evacuee. The system will automatically re-evaluate all routes every 2 s based on the most updated information, and the evacuee will be notified if a new and safer route becomes available. A case study with two testing scenarios was conducted for a commercial office building in Tianjin, China, in order to verify this framework.
Highlights
Urban fires can result in serious injury or death to human occupants
Li et al [20] used the building information modeling (BIM) model to improve the accuracy of room-level localization of trapped occupants, while Ruppel and Schatz [21] developed an interactive game in a BIM-based virtual environment to investigate human behavior during the evacuation process under various emergency scenarios
The research presented in this study investigates the most appropriate technology for an indoor real-time location system (TRLS) and the best approach to use for implementation of a BIM model in the cloud to support a mobile application that enables real-time fire evacuation route recommendation, along with turn-by-turn navigation guidance
Summary
Urban fires can result in serious injury or death to human occupants. A total of 1.319 million fires were reported in 2017 in the USA, resulting in 3400 fatalities, 14,670 injuries, and a financial loss of 23 billion US dollars [1]; in China, the 237,000 fires reported in 2018 resulted in 1407 fatalities, injuries, and a loss of 3.67 billion Chinese Yuan [2]. Measures currently required by design codes do not always work as expected [5], due to inadequate facility maintenance or a lack of operational skills on the part of the occupants. Human behavior during this initial phase becomes a very important factor in the survival of the occupants [6,7], as evacuation behavior reflects how people will behave during an escape and determines the actions they will take, based on their perceptions of the situation [3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
