Emergency Evacuation Simulation Research Articles

Comparative analysis of two evacuation simulation tools when applied to high-rise residential buildings

Currently there are numerous emergency evacuation simulation tools with varying levels of sophistication and differing capabilities. It is expected that investigating the same scenarios using different tools might not give the same outcome. This paper illustrates how a microscopic agent-based modelling tool (Pathfinder) and a macroscopic flow-based modelling tool (Evacuationz) can be setup to investigate high-rise residential building evacuations in comparable ways by varying configuration parameters. Both tools represent individual agents with associated characteristics (e.g., walking speed and pre-evacuation delay). These are varied in the scenarios examined to stress-test the designs or explore the impact of design/procedural changes.The two tools differ in how they deal with the building geometry and therefore have different algorithms to manage evacuee movement. In this work, assumed performance parameters (e.g., travel speeds, spacing, etc.) have been calibrated to better align the conditions represented in the tools and the outcomes produced across the scenarios examined. This then allows the tools to function at their respective levels of sophistication and granularity (providing different perspectives on performance) but adopt a more equivalent performance baseline given the calibration effort.The use of two tools increased confidence in the predictions, and also allowed for an examination of a wider range of scenario conditions such as number of stairs, stair width, and building size, given the different computational expense associated with the tools.

Developing a Framework Leveraging Building Information Modelling to Validate Fire Emergency Evacuation

In fire emergency management, a delayed execution will cause a significant number of casualties. Conventional fire drills typically only identify a certain percentage of evacuation bottlenecks after the building has been constructed, which is hard to improve. This paper proposes an innovative framework to validate fire emergency evacuation at the early design stage. According to the experience and knowledge of fire emergency evacuation design, the proposed framework also introduces a seamless two-way information channel to embed fire emergency evacuation simulations into a BIM-based design environment. Several critical factors for fire evacuation have been reviewed in relevant domain knowledge, which is used to build virtual characters to test in experimental scenarios. The results are analyzed to validate fire emergency evacuation factors, and the feedback knowledge is stored as a knowledge model for further applications.

A building information modeling-based fire emergency evacuation simulation system for large infrastructures

During fire emergencies, people in large infrastructures are difficult to comprehend real-time fire dynamics and identify available evacuation routes, leading to lengthy evacuation time and unnecessary loss of life and property. This study aims to develop a fire emergency evacuation simulation system for large infrastructures. This system integrates the data from building information modeling platform, fire dynamics simulator, and evacuation simulation platform through customized developments. Real-time fire situation is transmitted to the evacuation simulation platform to assess the impact of dynamic fire spread on the evacuation of people. The behavioral and psychological characteristics of evacuees of different genders and age groups are considered in simulated evacuations. An algorithm for optimizing evacuation route planning is designed to improve the utilization of each evacuation exit and provide a visualization of evacuation routes. This proposed system was validated at a busy subway station in China. The evacuation efficiency increased by 12.87%. It is concluded that this system can provide real-time dynamic optimal evacuation route planning for enhanced emergency management.

Simulation of emergency evacuation with crowd-gathering risk and evaluation methods: a case study of the mass rapid transit system in Taipei

ABSTRACT Mass rapid transit (MRT) systems are the backbone of transportation infrastructure in many cities. During emergencies, indoor subway stations become particularly susceptible to panic and overcrowding, making evacuation difficult. Therefore, simulating the evacuation and sheltering processes of a large number of individuals during emergencies is key in urban disaster response. In this study, a spatial evacuation risk model was used to enhance the safety of evacuation strategies in an MRT system. Data were collected on spatial architectural floor plans, and a database for communication and pedestrian flow was established. The behavioral patterns and distribution of individuals within stations and the characteristics of refuge spaces were also investigated. To simulate the processes of evacuation and sheltering, the Pathfinder evacuation simulation tool was used to construct a three-dimensional spatial model of a subway station. Specific scenarios were then constructed to simulate the procedures of evacuation and sheltering. Subsequently, the factors contributing to overcrowding-related hazards were analyzed to examine the spatial risks associated with crowd aggregation and evacuation and provide recommendations for improvement. Given its numerous advantages, this approach can serve as a valuable reference for conducting risk assessments in other large-scale crowd aggregation spaces.

Multi-agent-based human cognition simulation of Situation-aware earthquake emergency evacuation

The salvation of at-risk people from urban areas with earthquake prognosis or evacuation is one of the important activities of rescue teams. Due to the roles of different groups of individuals (crisis managers, pedestrians, and vehicles) with their special spatial cognition, as well as the various characteristics of transportation infrastructure, multi-agent-based modeling is an effective way of situation-aware simulation. The complexity and dynamic nature of emergencies are owing to the interactions between agents, evacuation environment, and multiple risk levels. This paper aims to develop a new approach to infer different situations before the occurrence of an earthquake based on human spatial cognition with an emphasis on the routing process. This study proposed a situation-aware evacuation framework using multi-agent modeling to examine the agents (pedestrians, vehicles, and controlling agents), their behaviors, and agent-agent and agent-environment interactions. The initial routing was performed using the A* search algorithm, then route correction towards safe zones as action and decision-making on the part of the agent was done using the Bayesian inference method. The study area was District 6 of the Tehran metropolis, which is located very near active faults. The results were assessed under four different scenarios according to levels of agent cognition and access to environmental situation information. The research findings indicated that evacuation time in a state where agents are aware of the environmental situation and have sufficient knowledge was significantly less compared to other scenarios, which can contribute immensely to saving people's lives and reducing human casualties in emergencies and crises.

Smoke simulation and emergency evacuation simulation under indoor fire scenario

According to relevant data, when a fire occurs in a large public building, human life and property will be greatly threatened. In order to solve the problem of personnel evacuation under fire conditions, this paper starts with ant colony algorithm and introduces heuristic function, node selection strategy, and pheromone update to improve ant colony algorithm, so as to provide a scientific basis for personnel evacuation after fire. Based on BIM technology, smoke simulation technology, and evacuation simulation technology, this paper studies the evacuation of people in fire scenarios. Simulation of fire smoke and personnel evacuation is carried out on the BIM model of the shopping mall. Using Pyrosim software to simulate the spread of smoke in the shopping mall after the fire, the smoke temperature, fire visibility and CO concentration of each node are obtained.

Design for safety in metro station evacuation: a study of fire emergency evacuation behavior and simulation

PurposeMetro stations have become a crucial aspect of urban rail transportation, integrating facilities, equipment and pedestrians. Impractical physical layout designs and pedestrian psychology impact the effectiveness of an evacuation during a metro fire. Prior research on emergency evacuation has overlooked the complexity of metro stations and failed to adequately consider the physical heterogeneity of stations and pedestrian psychology. Therefore, this study aims to develop a comprehensive evacuation optimization strategy for metro stations by applying the concept of design for safety (DFS) to an emergency evacuation. This approach offers novel insights into the management of complex systems in metro stations during emergencies.Design/methodology/approachPhysical and social factors affecting evacuations are identified. Moreover, the social force model (SFM) is modified by combining the fire dynamics model (FDM) and considering pedestrians' impatience and panic psychology. Based on the Nanjing South Metro Station, a multiagent-based simulation (MABS) model is developed. Finally, based on DFS, optimization strategies for metro stations are suggested.FindingsThe most effective evacuation occurs when the width of the stairs is 3 meters and the transfer corridor is 14 meters. Additionally, a luggage disposal area should be set up. The exit strategy of the fewest evacuees is better than the nearest-exit strategy, and the staff in the metro station should guide pedestrians correctly.Originality/valuePrevious studies rarely consider metro stations as sociotechnical systems or apply DFS to proactively reduce evacuation risks. This study provides a new perspective on the evacuation framework of metro stations, which can guide the designers and managers of metro stations.

Emergency Evacuation Simulation Study Based on Improved YOLOv5s and Anylogic

With the development of the social economy and the continuous growth of the population, emergencies within field stations are becoming more frequent. To improve the efficiency of emergency evacuation of field stations and further protect people’s lives, this paper proposes a method based on improved YOLOv5s target detection and Anylogic emergency evacuation simulation. This method applies the YOLOv5s target detection network to the emergency evacuation problem for the first time, using the stronger detection capability of YOLOv5s to solve the problem of unstable data collection under unexpected conditions. This paper first uses YOLOv5s, which incorporates the SE attention mechanism, to detect pedestrians inside the site. Considering the height of the camera and the inability to capture the whole body of the pedestrian when the site is crowded, this paper adopts the detection of the pedestrian’s head to determine the specific location of the pedestrian inside the site. To ensure that the evacuation task is completed in the shortest possible time, Anylogic adopts the principle of closest distance evacuation, so that each pedestrian can leave through the exit closest to him or her. The experimental results show that the average accuracy of the YOLOv5s target detection model incorporating the SE attention mechanism can reach 94.01%; the constructed Anylogic emergency evacuation model can quickly provide an evacuation plan to guide pedestrians to leave from the nearest exit in an emergency, effectively verifying the feasibility of the method. The method can be extended and applied to research related to the construction of emergency evacuation aid decision-making systems in field stations.

Agent-based radiological emergency evacuation simulation modeling considering mitigation infrastructures

Agent-based radiological emergency evacuation simulation modeling considering mitigation infrastructures

Simülasyon Modeli Kullanarak Bir Üniversitede Acil Durum Tahliye Planı Oluşturulması

Many countries have experienced a lot of loss of life and material losses in many incidents due to natural or technological disasters. Planned and systematic action is required to manage emergencies. For this, a successful plan must be prepared. In order for the emergency management to be successful, it is necessary to successfully evacuate people from the building in the event of a disaster. Emergency evacuation plans, evacuation drills and training should be provided. Simulations and models have often been one of the methods people use to study events. How solutions should be created for the events encountered were examined with simulations. With emergency evacuation simulations, an emergency management plan can be made close to reality. This study was carried out in a university building. In this 3-storey building, there are students, lecturers and working personnel. The best emergency evacuation plan to be applied in an emergency has been researched. It was aimed to create a plan with the shortest evacuation time by making experiments with the simulation program. Pathfinder simulation program was used in this study. In the first part, 11 scenarios related to the routing variability to the emergency exit doors were created. It is aimed to create a plan with the best evacuation time. In the second part, 5 scenarios were created about the situations where the emergency exit doors are locked and the doors are unusable for certain periods. The effects of these disruptions on the evacuation period were examined.

Visualization of Emergency Evacuation Physical Behavior under Multi-Agent Decision-Making

Emergency evacuation simulation is significant for architectural design and emergency plan implementation. To explore the influence of evacuees’ physical behavior and evacuees’ decisions on the evacuation process, as well as to address the problems of traditional emergency evacuation models with insufficient detail of the situation (realism), low reusability, poor operability, and lack of subsequent scalability, this paper first analyzed pedestrian characteristics in emergencies. To describe pedestrian decision-making in an emergent evacuation situation, a multi-agent design based on decision theory was proposed, solving the multi-agent decision-making problem in an emergency evacuation environment by the A* algorithm. Then the designed multi-agent was embedded into the social force model by AnyLogic software. Finally, the model reproduces the pedestrian evacuation process in an emergency evacuation situation on the built platform, depicting three kinds of typical behaviors: pedestrian partnering, obstacle avoidance, and exit competition. In addition, this study also analyzed a large student apartment building by example and proposed corresponding optimization solutions to improve its evacuation capacity through simulation results.

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.

Simulation of fire emergency evacuation in a large-passenger-flow subway station based on the on-site measured data of Shenzhen Metro

Abstract Because of its large capacity, high efficiency and energy savings, the subway has gradually become the primary mode of transportation for citizens. A high density of passengers exists within a large-passenger-flow subway station, and the number of casualties and injuries during a fire emergency is substantial. In this paper, Pathfinder software and on-site measured data of Pingzhou station in Shenzhen (China) were utilized to simulate a fire emergency evacuation in a large-passenger-flow subway station. The Required Safe Egress Time (RSET), number of passengers and flow rates of stairs and escalators were analysed for three fire evacuation scenarios: train fire, platform fire and hall fire. The evacuation time of the train fire, which was 1173 s, was the longest, and 3621 occupants needed to evacuate when the train was fully loaded. Occupants could not complete the evacuation within 6 mins in all three fire evacuation scenarios, which does not meet the current standard requirements and codes. By changing the number of passengers and the number of stairs for evacuation, the flow rate capacity and evacuation time were explored, which have reference values for safety management and emergency evacuation plan optimization during peak hours of subway operation.

Shapefile-based multi-agent geosimulation and visualization of building evacuation scenario

Numerous computational tools for the simulation and design of emergency evacuation and egress are now available. Many evacuation models have been studied at different scales, from micro to macro models. To examine the problem in detail, the popular approach solicited is that of agent-based models (ABMs). ABMs take into account the heterogeneity of pedestrian behaviors and the unspecified conditions of the road network. However, the computational cost is enormous when applied to numerous evacuees. Coupled with ABM, the available Shapefile data can be used to develop simulation models to improve the analysis of spatial data and spatial processes. One such application concerns the evacuation of buildings in hazardous situations, where ABM is integrated with geographic information system (GIS) Shapefiles indoor spatial data to model humans during evacuation events and to simulate evacuation scenarios visualized in the Shapefiles. The research presented in this paper develops a multi-agent geosimulation model for building evacuation, integrating a Shapefile dataset of the case study building as input to ABM through the GAMA simulation platform. This model is intended to complement and enhance traditional approaches to building evacuation planning and management, such as earthquake and fire drills. The framework has been elaborated in such a way that it works for a wide range of scenarios, both in terms of hazards, geographical configurations, individual behaviors and crisis management. To demonstrate its adaptability, a real-life case study is presented concerning the evacuation of the Station NightClub from a fire.

EVACUATION ASSESSMENT WITH SIMULATION FOR THE DIVRIGI GREAT MOSQUE AND HOSPITAL THROUGH COMPARISON OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF FIRE SAFETY OF CULTURAL ASSETS

Aim: The first aim of the study is to compare different regulations/guidelines and determine their properties. The second aim is to evaluate the duration and suitability of the Divrigi Great Mosque and Hospital by simulating the evacuation. Method: Within the scope of this study, the regulations created in the context of the protection of cultural assets constituting the architectural heritage against fire disasters were examined and detailed in comparison with each other; An emergency evacuation simulation of the Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital, which is on the World Cultural Heritage List, was prepared and the escape time in a possible fire was calculated Results: Due to the existence of special fire regulations for historical buildings in different countries, more detailed criteria have been introduced. The necessity of evacuation simulations is also mentioned in the regulations. The total evacuation time of the Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital was determined as 153 seconds. Conclusion: The absence of a separate fire code for historical buildings is a shortcoming in our country. There should be a separate fire code for historical buildings. In the simulation of the historical building, it was determined that the required evacuation time was exceeded by 3 seconds.

Can information sharing among evacuees improve indoor emergency evacuation? An exploration study based on BIM and agent-based simulation

With the progress of building construction technology, indoor space of building is becoming increasingly complex and dynamic, which leads to the deficiency for interior personnel to understand the indoor layout for evacuation purposes. While sensor-based methods of indoor environment perception and road network updating have been proposed, the role of evacuees in emergency evacuation environment as information sources to perceive and share relevant information has been ignored. Therefore, this paper first explores the feasibility of a BIM and multi-agent-based information sharing framework to update the geometric network model for evacuation navigation according to the dynamic environment, building a system that can update the indoor network model extracted from BIM and realize dynamic emergency evacuation navigation through information sharing among evacuees. Then, emergency evacuation simulation is carried out based on the information sharing mechanism to explore the influence of relevant factors of information sharing on indoor emergency evacuation. The simulation results show that even incomplete information sharing of evacuees can still improve evacuation navigation, and the overall evacuation performance of evacuees is improved even if not all the evacuee shared information.

Determining Subway Emergency Evacuation Efficiency Using Hybrid System Dynamics and Multiple Agents

With the rapid development of the city, more and more people are choosing the subway as their travel mode. However, the hidden dangers of the subway are becoming increasingly prominent, and emergency evacuation of the subway has become a key factor for its safe operation. Therefore, the research objectives of this paper were to focus on the subway emergency evacuation hybrid model to fill the gap in the field of emergency evacuation simulation methods and countermeasure optimization. The analysis network process (ANP) was used to analyze the influence factors and weights of subway pedestrian evacuation. On this basis, a multiagent model of subway pedestrian evacuation (SD + multiagent) was developed and simulated. The results show that the comprehensive evacuation strategy could improve the evacuation efficiency, shorten the evacuation time, and avoid the waste of resources. This study not only improved the accuracy of the simulation, but also clarified the evacuation process. This approach can effectively prevent the occurrence of subway accidents, reduce casualties, and prevent large-scale casualties such as secondary accidents (induced secondary disasters).

Spatial Allocation Method of Evacuation Guiders in Urban Open Public Spaces: A Case Study of Binjiang Green Space in Xuhui District, Shanghai, China.

Evacuation guiders play an important role when emergency events occur in urban open public spaces. Considering the shortcomings of the existing studies, an optimization method based on the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm and gradual covering model for spatial allocation of evacuation guiders in urban open public spaces is proposed. This method considers the impact of obstacles on intervisibility between guiders and evacuees, and the non-linear changing characteristics of the evacuation guiding quality based on the distances between guiders and evacuees to optimize the space allocation of evacuation guiders in urban open public spaces. Based on the emergency evacuation simulation, the evacuation efficiencies before and after the optimization of evacuation guider allocation can be compared to verify the validity of the proposed method. Furthermore, in order to improve the applicability of this method, the responsibility areas of the evacuation guiders are zoned according to different time periods. A case study of Binjiang Green Space in Xuhui District, Shanghai, China was conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method. The results showed that the spatial allocation of evacuation guiders was highly correlated with the dynamic spatial change of evacuees. The reasonable spatial allocation optimization of evacuation guiders can effectively improve the emergency evacuation quality and reduce evacuation risks. The zoning of the evacuation guiders’ responsibility areas can help to clarify the responsibility area of each guider and provide a daily safety precaution scheme under a limited number of guiders. The method can provide detailed decision support for the security precaution of security staff and emergency evacuation management in urban open public spaces.

Emergency evacuation simulation and test research of civil aircraft complex groups based on the social attribute

Based on the basic social model, the social attribute effect factor is put forward. The desired velocity of individual is modified from sex, age, education, ride frequency, safety knowledge and experience. The influence of the individual behavior, group action and adverse attitude of landing are revised through panic parameter, follow force, leaning force and coefficient of speed damping ratio. Based on the dynamic cabin emergency evacuation test environment, the individual evacuation test, multiplayer evacuation test and group evacuation test are performed. The individual speed distributes and the adverse attitude effects on the individual velocity and group evacuation speed are analyzed. The test result show that the individual desired speed is about 1.5 m/s and the maximum desired speed is about 2.86 m/s. During evacuation, the average speed of male is higher than that of female. However, the proportion of panic of female during jump slide is higher than that of male. The fitting coefficient of speed damping ration based on the test data is consist with that from Lowe's Ship Club. Through comparing the simulation result with the test, the revised social model can be exact simulate evacuation process. The maximum deviation is 6.25 percent with group test performed in the test environment. The relative error is 3.7 percent with ARJ21-700 evacuation demonstrate test. The errors conform to the engineering requirement.

Simulation of emergency evacuation from construction site of prefabricated buildings

To ensure the safe construction of prefabricated buildings and improve the efficiency of the safe evacuation of construction personnel after a fire caused by improper operation during construction, this study used the PyroSim software to numerically simulate a fire situation based on the size and volume of a prefabricated building construction site. The variation rules of smoke visibility, CO concentration, and ambient temperature in the construction site of prefabricated buildings were analyzed and the available safe evacuation time was determined. Moreover, the Pathfinder software was used for simulation in combination with the physical attributes of personnel, evacuation speed, and personnel proportions. The time required for safe evacuation was determined and the factors influencing the evacuation time, such as the quantity and location of stacked prefabricated components, machinery, and appliances, and the number of on-site construction personnel, were analyzed. The data collected by the temperature sensor, CO concentration sensor, and visibility sensor reveal that the visibility and crash time are the key factors restricting the efficiency of personnel avoidance and evacuation. At 400 s, the visibility at the escape exit of the prefabricated apartment construction site was lower than 5 m. The crashing time of the building was 360 s, which is the critical point for casualties. The first emergency evacuation simulation took 398.7 s. The required safe evacuation time (TREST) > available safe evacuation time (TASET), and the original site layout cannot facilitate the safe evacuation of all construction workers. The evacuation time can be effectively reduced by re-planning the stacking positions of prefabricated construction site components, construction equipment, and other items, and reducing the number of personnel in the construction plane. The results of the second simulation reveal that the safe evacuation time (TREST) is 355.2 s. Because it is required that the safety evacuation time (TREST) < available safe evacuation time (TASET), the results are in line with the emergency evacuation requirements. The findings of this study can provide a theoretical basis for the rational planning of evacuation passages at the construction sites of prefabricated buildings and assist the management of construction site safety.