The Survival Shelter Environment: Implications for Human Factors

Abstract

A renewed effort is being directed towards the study of behavior in the survival shelter environment. These efforts are a particular concern for the specialist in human factors because they encompass the stressors of temperature, crowding, air quality, food and water restriction, reduced illumination, and power and sleep disturbances - all while the occupants are under severe emotional stress. Human factors problems involve leadership and the selection and training of shelter leaders, work schedules and procedures, the allocation of resources, the monitoring of conditions outside the environment, safety and health, equipment maintenance and problems of communication, shelter management and decision making. In this forum, the scenario within the survival shelter will be described as a systems oriented problem requiring multidisciplinary solution. Then the environmental stressors will be identified and the behavioral factors will be specified. The discussion resulting from these stimuli should identify voids in the human factors aspects of the survival shelter, in addition to providing FEMA the necessary human factors input they needed for adequately providing for the survival shelter and its effective management.