Emergency Evacuation Procedures Research Articles

Optimization of emergency evacuation in complex rail transit station

Post-earthquake fires in populated stations pose a significant threat to passenger safety, necessitating the implementation of efficient emergency evacuation procedures to adequately safeguard lives and property. Utilizing Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Pathfinder, this study innovatively delves into the emergency evacuation optimization measures under a post-earthquake fire. Three pivotal research questions are explored: a comparative analysis of the Required Safe Egress Time (RSET) versus the Available Safe Egress Time (ASET) to evaluate the safety of evacuation procedures; a focused examination of critical time points and influential factors during evacuation process; and the formulation of optimization measures to enhance evacuation efficiency. The Beijing Xiyuan rail transit station was chosen as a case study, with four post-earthquake fire scenarios simulated. Additionally, the impact of obstacles and injured personnel resulting from the earthquake was considered. The results show that: (1) During evacuations, critical issues arise at specific time points. The entrances of escalators/stairs, turnstiles, and exits are key sites, where congestion becomes critical issues. (2) Evacuating rescue personnel through public non-paid areas saves 9.1 % of the evacuation time compares to crossing turnstiles. (3) The most impactful measures for optimizing evacuation is that trains arrive in only one direction, followed by the deployment of evacuation guidance. Thus, key control time points and optimization measures for the evacuation process of complex urban rail transit stations can be obtained. The findings provide insights and guidance for optimizing emergency evacuation in rail transit stations to mitigate post-earthquake fire risks and ensure public safety.

Emergency Communication System for Hills and Forest Region Using IOT

This project presents an innovative approach to establishing robust communication systems in remote areas devoid of traditional network infrastructure. By harnessing the power of IoT and LoRa technology, the project proposes a Long Distance Communication System that not only facilitates connectivity but also supports critical emergency evacuation procedures. The cornerstone of this system is the LoRa Mesh Library, which enables a decentralized network topology, ensuring seamless communication even in the most challenging environments via ad hoc network. The project further explores QoS routing and traffic scheduling within 802.11 wireless mesh networks to guarantee consistent and quality communication links over long distances. Additionally, it integrates Secure IT, a security framework utilizing Firebase, Google Map, and Node.js, to provide real-time location-based alerts, enhancing the safety of individuals in emergency situations.Thisabstractencapsulatestheproject’smultifacetedapproach to overcoming the limitations of current communication infrastructures, offering a scalable, secure, and efficient solution that has the potential to revolutionize connectivity in isolated regions worldwide.

Review of advanced emergency evacuation procedures in hospital buildings: comprehensive analysis and insights

This research paper explores the integration of novel technologies in hospital emergency evacuations, particularly in Operating Rooms (ORs) and Emergency Departments (EDs). It examines the application of advanced tools like simulation modeling, Building Information Modeling (BIM), Digital Twin technology, sensor data, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve evacuation strategies in the building. The study extends to in-depth case studies for assessing the practicality of existing protocols, while also highlighting the critical importance of staff training and preparedness. Additionally, it addresses the ethical and psychological impacts of emergencies on patients and healthcare staff, underscoring the need for technology to be complemented with human-centered care. The paper concludes by emphasizing the ongoing necessity for innovative research in enhancing safety and operational resilience in healthcare emergency management.

ITEVAC: an enhanced trusted evacuation system leveraging fog computing and IoT

ABSTRACT This paper introduces iTEVAC, an advanced model of the Trusted Evacuation System (TEVAC), designed to optimize emergency evacuation procedures within commercial centers. Building upon the principles of TEVAC, iTEVAC incorporates additional features such as isolation, firefighting, and rescue intervention strategies to enhance the system's performance and efficiency. iTEVAC leverages the power of Fog computing and Internet of Things (IoT) devices to provide real-time guidance for individuals during emergencies. The system operates by executing alerts for isolated nodes and those unable to find an exit route, providing detailed guidance for nodes that need to move within the commercial center's network. A key advantage of iTEVAC is its decision-making speed, which is less than 1 second, crucial in high-stakes, time-sensitive situations. The iTEVAC model also addresses the limitations of older buildings, traditional markets, and crowded areas that often lack efficient and integrated evacuation systems. It allows users to rely not only on smart navigation guide panel but also on their smartphones to find the safest direction using local Wi-Fi and broadband cellular networks, supported by Fog computing. The iTEVAC model represents a significant advancement in emergency response strategies, contributing to the development of more effective and intelligent evacuation strategies.

Human error probability in the emergency evacuation

This study aims to determine the human error probability during the emergency evacuation of offshore platforms with the HEART technique. In this study, after completing an emergency maneuver with a fire and explosion scenario, the HTA method was used to identify and segregate the emergency evacuation activities, and the HEART technique was utilized to estimate the human error probability. Lastly, suitable control measures were suggested based on the evaluation's findings. In the event of a fire and explosion, the safest means of evacuating people and leaving the platform include evacuation by lifeboat, evacuation by rescue floats and rescue ships nearby, and evacuation by helicopter. Due to the extreme risk, evacuating individuals via life rafts and jumping directly into the water is not recommended. It is advised to examine the safety state of the platform, organize specialized safety training and weekly maneuvers for personnel participating in the emergency evacuation procedures of the platform, and monitor the repair, maintenance, and inspection status of the employed equipment.

АНАЛИЗ ДОРОЖНО-ТРАНСПОРТНОГО ТРАВМАТИЗМА НА ОБЩЕСТВЕННОМ ТРАНСПОРТЕ В РЕСПУБЛИКЕ ТАТАРСТАН ЗА 2018-2022 гг.

Report. Introduction. Road traffic accidents involving passenger transport vehicles are characterized by highly severe consequences and usually cause massive public outcry. Major accidents involving public transport occur infrequently, but they are always characterized by many victims, injured and dead. Aim of this paper is to study the injury degree of road traffic accidents involving passenger transport vehicles, such as buses, trolleybuses, or trams. Materials and Methods. The study is based on the data made available via the federal statistical observation over road accidents involving motor and public transport in the Republic of Tatarstan over the years 2018-2022. For this purpose, we used generalization methods and quantitative, qualitative, and comparative analysis techniques. Mathematical simulation techniques were used to analyze the data with the computational tools of the MS Excel electronic package. Необходимо повышение осведомленности пассажиров о правилах безопасности и процедурах эвакуации в случае чрезвычайного проис- шествия. Results and Discussion. An acute problem of modern society is the lack of effectively ensuring passenger transport safety, which leads to more frequent road accidents and injuries on the roads. Transporting passengers by urban public transport is one of the most important industries in the economy of the Republic of Tatarstan. Road safety issues are a priority in many strategic and program documents of the socio-economic development of the Republic. Human factor is one of the key factors in ensuring road safety. The most common causes of such accidents are speed limit violations and drivers’ inattention and negligence. Eventually, drivers’ failure to comply with the work-rest ratio leads to accidents and loss of life. There is a need for raising passengers’ awareness of safety rules and emergency evacuation procedures. Conclusions. There are still serious shortcomings in traffic management, leading to accidents with many dead and injured. Implementing measures aimed at preventing road accidents will help enhance road safety and significantly reduce the number of accidents.

An agent-based simulation framework for developing the optimal rescue plan for older adults during the emergency evacuation

Timely evacuation and rescue in an emergency are significantly important to avoid serious injuries and death in a residential building. Previous studies regarding building emergency plans tended to adopt the data of the average population, while ignoring the elderly people with their sensory impairment, limited mobility, and a great potential for chronic disease, are more vulnerable to emergencies and thus have a high risk of death. Therefore, this study proposes an agent-based simulation framework that integrates the behaviour of both evacuees and rescuers to determine the optimal rescue plan for older adults requiring assistance in emergency evacuation procedures. A case study of a senior residence is provided to demonstrate the applicability of the framework for rescue plan formulation under different evacuation scenarios. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to explore the influence of rescuers’ delay time on evacuation and rescue performance and a method comparison is made to verify the effectiveness of the framework proposed in this study for rescue process optimization.

Directive Emergency Evacuation Procedures Using MATLAB

This paper presents the development of directive emergency evacuation procedures for occupants of academic buildings. The development has four steps: determining a location as a starting point for evacuation, identifying the number of occupants in the building, referring to regulations and guidelines of emergency evacuation procedures, and designing an algorithm to be programmed in MATLAB software for desktop application. One academic building of the chemical and energy engineering faculty in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia is chosen to demonstrate the evacuation simulation. The algorithm is developed to direct occupants from any room in the building to a nearby assembly point. Occupants must provide inputs to the evacuation simulation, particularly the room’s number and level. Based on the inputs, occupants will get a word-based direction to the assembly point within an estimated time. Fifty students demonstrated the use of an emergency evacuation simulation in MATLAB. They are provided feedback concerning their awareness of emergency evacuation and the interaction with the simulation. Half of them responded that the evacuation simulation in MATLAB and their satisfaction was good and excellent. However, the algorithm is for one potential hazard and its location at a time, making it incapable of having inputs for many hazards. It is recommended that the algorithm is programmed to be used on a smartphone, allowing much easier dynamic emergency calling.

Analyzing the Newest Interchange Connection at Cairo Metro Network Pertaining to Passenger Flow

The French standard governing occupanckes dedicated for gatherings of individuals and institutions receiving the public, including railway stations and tunnels was used in the design of Cairo’s transit network, which consists of three lines connected through three existing interchange connections and one that is currently under construction. There is a lack of studies quantifying passenger evacuation in relation to Cairo transit, especially with regard to the interchange connections. This study assessed the viability of the evacuation methods applied to the design of interchange connections in Egypt. The emergency evacuation procedures for the future interchange connection layout between Lines 1 and 3 were assessed using the French standard and NFPA 130 Standard for Fixed Guideway Transit and Passenger Rail Systems analytical methods. The analysis accounts for the traffic forecast as presented in the Egyptian company for operation and maintenance report for Line 1 and the feasibility study of Line 3. The results demonstrated that the connection was compliant with the French standard, but it did not fully meet NFPA requirements. It was concluded that there is still room for enhancement and for gaps to be considered. Recommendations include undertaking investigations into passenger characteristics and behavior in the context of passenger flow in emergency situations using approaches such as virtual research and field surveys, and simulation techniques.

Virtual World as an Interactive Safety Training Platform

Virtual training platform allows interactive and engaging learning through practice without exposing trainees to hazards. In the recent pandemic (COVID-19) situation, online training is gaining importance as it allows learning with social distancing. This research study develops two online training modes—slide-based and virtual world—and assesses them on factors such as knowledge retention, engagement, and attention. Fire safety and emergency evacuation procedures were selected for online training development, focusing on a university community. A Lean Startup methodology was employed to develop training content for virtual and slide-based safety training (SBST). A virtual university building was developed with 15 learning objectives on fire safety. An empirical evaluation of the training modes was conducted with 143 participants. The results validated that a Virtual Safety World (VSW) can provide the same knowledge as SBST but can do so in a more engaging manner. Retention of concepts after a month was higher in VSW participants. The participants’ attention levels, measured by employing qEEG, showed that participants exhibited better-sustained attention while in VSW than in SBST mode. In addition, initial studies of the virtual training platform, designed to be adaptive to the user, are performed using deep learning and qEEG.

POSSIBLE MEANS OF ESCAPE FOR EVACUATION FROM DANGEROUS LOCATIONS VS. THE SAFETY OF THE OCCUPANTS OF THESE PLACES. SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS ON THE EXAMPLE STUDENT SURVEY AT THE RZESZÓW UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

The aim of this paper is to analyse Rzeszow University of Technology students’ familiarity with the emergency exits in the buildings where they attend classes and their knowledge of the evacuation routes from these buildings in the event of a construction disaster, fire, terrorist attack, or other possibly dangerous phenomenon. The analyses described are based on scientific research carried out on a population of 249 university students, to whom a survey regarding this subject was administered. Study findings indicated that respondents' familiarity with emergency exit locations in buildings and knowledge of emergency evacuation procedures for public utility buildings were at a very low level. It is therefore recommended that efforts aimed at ensuring student preparedness should evacuation from university buildings be necessary be increased and that university threat alert systems be improved.

Fire emergency evacuation procedures for differently-abled community in high-rise buildings

PurposeThe incidence of disability is increasing globally over the past decades. Despite the increased proportion of disabled individuals, established fire emergency evacuation procedures for disabled in high-rise buildings are lacking attention. Hence, this paper aims to focus on investigating fire emergency evacuation procedures for differently-abled people in high-rise buildings.Design/methodology/approachTo address the gap, the case study strategy under the qualitative research approach was deployed by focussing 10 high-rise buildings. Data collected through semi-structured interviews and document reviews were analysed using content analysis.FindingsThe study findings revealed that even though a fire disaster is a major area to be considered, there is a noticeable gap in legal requirements related to differently-abled fire evacuation in Sri Lanka compared to the global context. Moreover, it was identified that importance given to differently enabled fire evacuations procedures varied based on the type of high-rise facilities in which hospitals and hotels provided more importance compared to office buildings, apartments and shopping complexes. Further, the study has highlighted the main gaps in the evacuation procedures and improvements required. Lack of imposed regulations for disabled evacuation was identified as a major barrier hindering the development of effective fire evacuation procedures for disabled, which creates a cascading effect. Further, the consideration given to legal, organisational, individual and technological factors would assist in straightening the identified issues.Originality/valueThis research provides a clear insight into the necessity of focussing at disabled individuals when developing fire emergency procedures. Most importantly, this study had exposed the current gaps in fire emergency evacuation procedures for the disabled community. Understanding these gaps is of high value for industry practitioners to ensure disabled safety during a fire emergency.

Protocols and Practices in Emergency Evacuation of Women Fleeing Abuse

Over the past several years three major events causing community disasters, two wildfires and a flood, have occurred in the province of Alberta, Canada. When these large-scale events occurred all community residents were asked to follow provincial emergency evacuation procedures, which included a move to an evacuation centre. In some cases, women and their children who were living at domestic violence shelters may have been unsafe since they might encounter the partner they fled at the evacuation site. These researchers encountered such a situation on our campus which is one evacuation centre. In this project, we gathered information from both shelter staff and emergency evacuation personnel about how such circumstances were managed and inquired about future best practices for evacuating women with or without children who are fleeing domestic violence. Interviewees shared insights to inform disaster management and shelter protocols.

Being prepared for emergencies: a virtual environment experiment on the retention and maintenance of egress skills

The retention of safety-critical egress skills is an essential part of emergency preparedness on offshore petroleum platforms. Virtual environment (VE) training has been shown to be an effective method for teaching basic onboard familiarization and offshore emergency evacuation procedures. This technology has the potential to train crews before they are deployed offshore. This paper investigates the long-term retention and maintenance of emergency egress competence obtained using a virtual offshore platform. In particular, the research aimed to answer two questions: (1) what egress skills can be remembered after a period of 6 months? and (2) how effective is a VE-based retraining program at maintaining egress skills? A two-phased experiment was designed to first teach basic egress skills and subsequently assess skill retention after a 6- to 9-month period. The first phase of the experiment used a simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) pedagogical approach to teach naïve subjects the necessary spatial and procedural skills to evacuate safely. In the second phase of the experiment, the same 36 participants were tested after the retention interval on their ability to respond to a series of egress test scenarios. Participants who had trouble remembering the egress procedures were provided retraining on deficient skills. The results of the experiment indicate that emergency egress skills (both spatial and procedural knowledge) are susceptible to skill decay. This paper will highlight the skills that were most susceptible to skill fade after a period of 6 to 9 months and discuss the efficacy of the retraining participants received to return to competence.

USING THE COMBINED LADM-INDOORGML MODEL TO SUPPORT BUIILDING EVACUATION

Abstract. During an incident, many people that are located in indoor environments require to follow emergency evacuation procedures. The ‘emergency evacuation’ term has been defined as ‘a critical movement of people from a dangerous area due to the risk or an incident of a tragic event’ (Bonabeau, 2002). An emergency evacuation could be needed in a life or death situation, regardless if it begins with a natural non-intended incident or a terrorist attack. Many researchers have studied the behaviour of the people during the evacuation because of several incidents with panic attacks that have led to injuries including death of people being crushed or trampled down by others. In crisis situation, the perception of the indoor environment, which differs from person to person, play a critical role in the evacuation. Also, the access rights of the indoor spaces are different from those rights (and restrictions) during normal times. They may positively impact the movements of the people during the evacuation by providing suggestions for shorter/better route. This paper addresses the impact of the access rights of the indoor spaces during an emergency evacuation. We employ the conceptual model of LADM-IndoorGML that defines the accessibility of the indoor spaces based on the rights, restrictions, and responsibilities of the user of the indoor space. The access rights of the indoor spaces are affected by the crisis event and this needs to be modelled explicitly (and before crisis situation). Actually, the rights/restrictions persons have on spaces is time dependent: normal operation hours, outside normal operation hours (e.g. during night time in case of a University building) or during crisis times. These actual/valid rights and restrictions affect the movement/accessibility of the users to reach the nearest emergency exits or the safe zone. For this reason, different scenarios have to be developed to study the impact of the accessibilities for different types of users. In this paper we will present the 3D model of an educational building that was built for the purpose of evacuation study. The 3D model is supported by real data for all spaces from the facility management department such as information on departments, sections, groups of users (visitors, employees, and students), and public/private spaces, etc. and a real evacuation exercise. We consider it extremely important to develop our information model based on international standards (LADM/ISO 19152, OGC IndoorGML, ISO 19141, ISO 19107) as we expect that this information will be part of the future ‘building infrastructure’ and applications all over the world can understand and use this data when entering or leaving a certain building both during normal and crisis situations. Different types of applications are anticipated to be based on this information model; e.g. mobile indoor routing app (for normal building users and Emergency Response Team members), crisis evacuation desktop application for command centre, etc.

A Better Way to Train Personnel to Be Safe in Emergencies

Offshore petroleum platforms present complex, time-sensitive situations that can make emergency evacuations difficult to manage. Virtual environments (VE) can train safety-critical tasks and help prepare personnel to respond to real-world offshore emergencies. Before industries can adopt VE training, its utility must be established to ensure the technology provides effective training. This paper presents the results of two experiments that investigated the training utility of VE training. The experiments focused particularly on determining the most appropriate method to deliver offshore emergency egress training using a virtual environment. The first experiment used lecture-based teaching (LBT). The second experiment investigated the utility of a simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) pedagogical method from the medical field to address offshore emergency egress training. Both training programs (LBT and SBML) were used to train naïve participants in basic onboard familiarization and emergency evacuation procedures. This paper discusses the training efficacy of the SBML method in this context and compares the results of the SBML experimental study to the results of the LBT training experiment. Efficacy of the training methods is measured by a combination of time spent training and performance achieved by each of the training groups. Results show that the SBML approach to VE training was more time effective and produced better performance in the emergency scenarios. SBML training can help address individual variability in competence. Limitations to the SBML training are discussed and recommendations to improve the delivery of SBML training are presented. Overall, the results indicate that employing SBML training in industry can improve human reliability during emergencies through increased competence and compliance.

Reasons for non-compliance with cyclone evacuation orders in Bangladesh

Despite significant improvement in cyclone early warning systems and emergency evacuation procedures in Bangladesh, a considerable number of potential victims do not evacuate. This paper, based on secondary published sources and administrative data, explores evacuation behavior during cyclones in Bangladesh and why people do not evacuate (move to cyclone shelters or safer places) despite early warnings and emergency evacuation orders. This paper argues that the reasons for non-compliance with cyclone evacuation orders in Bangladesh fall into four broad categories: reasons associated with public cyclone shelters; the nature of the risk communication employed in constructing the warning itself; socio-demographic and economic aspects; and non-evacuees' perceptions and attitudes. This paper claims that the existence of a cyclone warning system and the dissemination of warnings to the potential victims alone do not guarantee people's compliance with both the warning and the following evacuation orders. Therefore, this paper argues that reasons for non-compliance need to be addressed with the utmost priority to ensure appropriate responses to the warning and the subsequent evacuation orders by the potential victims.

Investigating the knowledge and preparedness of proximal residents to a general-emergency event at the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station.

Ward 23 in the City of Cape Town South Africa is situated within 16 km of Koeberg Nuclear Power Station (KNPS). Massive investments were made to provide the 13 800 residents of Ward 23 with information on emergency preparedness and evacuation procedures in case of a general-emergency event at KNPS. However, it is not known whether these efforts to inform and prepare the proximal residents for a general emergency have been effective or not. The objective of this study was to investigate the level of knowledge of and preparedness for an emergency exhibited by residents of Ward 23. Data was collected through the distribution of semi-structured questionnaires to 204 residents at the study site to ascertain their views on the provision and accessibility of emergency information and to find out whether they utilised this information to prepare themselves. The results revealed that the majority of interviewed residents had very poor knowledge concerning emergency procedures, and few had made any effort to prepare themselves. The majority of better-informed and prepared residents tended to reside closer to KNPS. The poor levels of knowledge and preparedness are attributed to residents’ lack of awareness concerning the availability of information, misconceptions regarding a nuclear hazard and a general emergency event or a lack of incentive to inform themselves due to a perceived high sense of security and the improbability of such an event occurring. To improve resident knowledge and preparedness, efforts should be made to advertise the availability and importance of such emergency information and enhance incentives for residents to inform themselves.

Human and organizational factors assessment of the evacuation operation of BP Deepwater Horizon accident

The offshore oil and gas industry is applying more advanced technologies to explore and produce petroleum in challenging environments. To meet the demands of these conditions, operators need to take suitable precautions relating to emergency response and evacuation procedures in terms of technology, management, operations, and personnel competence. The successful evacuation operations are dependent upon comprehensive preparedness should an incident occur. However, many reports of offshore accidents reveal that human factors contribute to the failure of evacuation. This paper addresses and discusses the contribution of human and organizational aspects to the evacuation operations of the BP Deepwater Horizon accident using a proposed framework. The framework consists of the evacuation protective layers and the evacuation preparedness plan. Human and organizational factors are discussed and analyzed at different stages, that is, the organization, personnel’s competence, the evacuation procedures, and the emergency equipment. As a result, insufficient emergency drills and exercises, poor communications, impairment of personnel’s physical ability due to unsafe conditions, and poor emergency preparedness planning were identified as human and organizational factors contributing to the unsuccessful evacuation operations of the Macondo well blowout.

Real‐time river bed scour monitoring and synchronous maximum depth data collected during Typhoon Soulik in 2013

AbstractA critical concern regarding river bed stabilization and river engineering is the short‐term general scour that occurs in a field setting far from a river‐crossing structure or embankment during a typhoon‐induced flood. This study investigated the improvement of existing techniques that have been used to measure river bed scour. One of these techniques is the numbered‐brick column or scour chains method, in which only the maximum general scour depth of river bed is observed. A wireless tracer for monitoring real‐time scour was set‐up with a numbered‐brick column and was employed to collect synchronous data. The proposed method was successfully used to observe both real‐time scour and the maximum depth at flood peak. This observation was conducted at a steep gravel‐bed reach of the Shuideliaw Embankment on the intermittent Choshui River in Central Taiwan during Typhoon Soulik, which occurred in 2013. Future studies must be conducted to complete the development of an automatic real‐time scour and flood monitoring system for use in severe weather and flow conditions; this would facilitate the identification of river bed scour during conditions of unstable flow and the improvement of flood prevention engineering, bridge closure detection and emergency evacuation procedures. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.