Evacuation Trials Research Articles

Analysis of Important Factors Having an Impact on Safety in Road Tunnels – Research Findings

Aim: This article presents relevant safety issues in road tunnels based on the results of a survey and evacuation experiments conducted on real scale in two existing road tunnels in Poland. Project and methods: An analysis of the relevant factors influencing the level of safety in road tunnels was carried out based on the results of experi - mental studies in two road tunnels in which the course of evacuation under fire conditions was observed. As part of the study, several evacuation trials were carried out at equal smoke levels, examining a different parameter each time: pre-movement time, speed of movement, the effect of smoke on the speed of movement, the effect of tunnel infrastructure on evacuation, among others. A survey carried out among 504 respondents, in turn, attempted to assess the awareness of hazards and safety procedures in road tunnels. The survey has four parts and questions covered the following issues: knowl - edge of tunnel infrastructure, behaviour in case of congestion, choice of evacuation route, behaviour during the evacuation, personal belongings during the evacuation, self-assessment of tunnel safety knowledge and the role of experience. An analysis was also carried out of the information available in Poland on safety guidelines for road tunnels, which can help tunnel users to improve their knowledge on tunnel safety. Results: The survey results indicate an insufficient level of knowledge regarding safety in road tunnels – only 16% of respondents answered more than 50% of the questions correctly. Ignorance of road tunnel infrastructure itself and the safety rules for the tunnel was also diagnosed. An analysis of the information available to the road users demonstrates that this information is difficult to access and that there is a lack of uniform guidelines to educate the public on the topic raised in the article. A significant impact of evacuation exercises carried out on an accurate scale was emphasised, providing valuable data on the evacuation process and increasing the level of safety in the engineering facilities analysed by raising the awareness of the partici - pants in the experiment. Conclusions: The research findings presented in this article allow for better understanding of the behaviour of the participants of accidents and fires in road tunnels. In addition, the need to raise the awareness of the road users on the dangerous situations that may occur in a tunnel and the appropriate response to them has been demonstrated. Keywords: safety, fire, smoke, evacuation, road tunnel Type of article: original science article

Evacuation trials from a double-deck electric train unit: Experimental data and sensitivity analysis

Passenger trains represent a challenging environment in emergencies, with specific evacuation conditions resulting from the typical layout and interior design inherent to public transportation vehicles. This paper describes a dataset obtained in a full-scale controlled experiment emulating the emergency evacuation of a double-deck electric unit railcar carried out in Prague in 2018. 15 evacuation trials involving 91 participants were conducted under various evacuation scenarios considering different compositions of passenger crowd, exit widths, and exit types (egress to a high platform, to an open rail line using stairs, and a 750 mm jump without any supporting equipment). The study’s main goals were to collect experimental data on the movement conditions in the railcar and to study the impact of various boundary conditions on evacuation process and total evacuation time. Movement characteristics (exit flows, speeds) and human behaviour (pre-movement activities, exiting behaviours) were also analysed. The data obtained was used to validate and adjust a Pathfinder model to capture important aspects of evacuation from the railcar. Furthermore, a series of simulations using this model was performed to provide sensitivity analysis of the influence of crowd composition, exit width, and exit type on total evacuation time. As a key finding, we can conclude that for the case of a standard exit path (platform or stairs) the width of the main exit had the greatest impact on total evacuation time, however, crowd composition played the prevailing role in evacuation scenarios involving a jump.

Emergency evacuation simulation of commercial aircraft

In order to receive certification approval for new products, aircraft manufacturers have to comply with the specifications regarding cabin evacuation. In case of real evacuation trials, agent-based simulation can be deployed, as they are a less cost-intensive mean of analysing passenger behaviour during the evacuation of commercial aircraft. This paper aims at examining the suitability of agent-based simulation software to reproduce passenger behaviour during evacuation processes. For this purpose, the algorithms and methods of the software PATHFINDER are introduced. Besides, the cabin of a single aisle aircraft is reconstructed in a high-density configuration using software-specific tools. A representative passenger distribution is implemented according to EASA regulations. Evacuation simulations for a single-aisle aircraft are conducted taking EASA standards into account. The effect of vital parameters such as walking speed, body dimension, conflict behaviour, collision response, acceleration time and exit allocation on evacuation times are examined. Results are discussed and examined for plausibility in order to determine whether evacuation simulations of commercial aircraft are possible using agent-based simulation software.

Assessing self-preservation capabilities in toddlers during evacuations

The evacuation of vulnerable people is critical and also comprises the evacuation of young children. Although some experts have suggested the age that young children can evacuate themselves without having to be physically assisted, we must acknowledge the fact that the empirical evidence supporting this assertion is limited. In this study, we investigated the performance of 94 children aged 0–3 during five evacuation trials conducted in a day-care centre and confirmed that self-preservation is age-dependent. However, this capability may vary due to individual and developmental differences, for example, one-third of children, aged 1–2 years, evacuated on their own, while approximately one-fifth of children, aged 2–3 years, required assistance. Furthermore, we found no gender differences in relation to self-preservation. The results of this study also suggest that the characteristics of the scenario, namely, adult to child ratios and travel distances, and the decisions and actions of staff members during the pre-evacuation stage, which involved gathering, preparing, and encouraging children, served as factors that affect self-preservation. These findings challenge our current understanding of the impact of self-preservation capability on children’s safety.

Minimally Invasive Surgery for Patients with Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage: a Book Reopened

In contrast to remarkable recent gains made in the outcomes of patients with ischemic stroke, outcomes for patients with hemorrhagic stroke (spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage [ICH]) remain poor. The results of past surgical trials for ICH—motivated by the hypothesis that patients would benefit from interventions to reduce intracranial hypertension associated with clot burden and prevent secondary injury induced by blood in the brain parenchyma—have to date been disappointing. Here, we review the results of the recently completed Minimally Invasive Surgery Plus Alteplase for Intracerebral Hemorrhage Evacuation III trial, which suggest that minimally invasive ICH evacuation may be clinically beneficial, but only when significant hematoma evacuation is achieved, and discuss ongoing minimally invasive surgical evacuation trials for ICH.

Velocity and transportation ability of vulnerable people during a community tsunami evacuation drill: Outdoor evacuation using a rollator, transport chair, wheelchair, and cart in Shinyo Bokomi, Kobe, Japan

Velocity and transportation ability of vulnerable people during a community tsunami evacuation drill: Outdoor evacuation using a rollator, transport chair, wheelchair, and cart in Shinyo Bokomi, Kobe, Japan

Evaluating the effectiveness of an improved active dynamic signage system using full scale evacuation trials

The need for exit signs that attract attention when they need to be conspicuous, to redirect people to not just an exit route, but a viable and if possible an optimal exit route in an evolving emergency has driven the development of a new generation of advanced signage, the Intelligent Active Dynamic Signage System (IADSS). The IADSS, attempts to meet these needs through the development of a novel Active Dynamic Signage System (ADSS) which can be controlled by an intelligent decision support system. This paper presents results that refine the effectiveness of the ADSS. When an exit route is considered non-viable, the adapted ADSS provides not only negative information i.e. that an exit is no longer available, but also positive information, i.e. indicating a viable alternative exit. In addition, in situations where a voice alarm system is used in conjunction with the ADSS, it is also important to ensure that the messaging does not contradict the intent of the ADSS. The improved ADSS was tested in full-scale evacuation trials in a rail station. Results suggest that the improved ADSS with voice alarm messaging that does not contradict the signage system successfully redirected 66% of the participants to the intended exit.

An international survey and full‐scale evacuation trial demonstrating the effectiveness of the active dynamic signage system concept

SummaryRapid evacuation from large buildings is challenging because of their complex layout making wayfinding difficult. While emergency signage is widely used to aid wayfinding, recent research demonstrates that only 38% of people perceive conventional exit signs. Furthermore, conventional signage only conveys single and passive information and so cannot adapt to changing conditions. The EU FP7 GETAWAY project addresses this problem through the development of a unique and innovative Intelligent Active Dynamic Signage System (IADSS), which routes occupants to their optimal exits during an evolving incident. This paper presents two key steps in the development of the IADSS concept. First, a novel negated signage concept identifying that an exit route is no longer viable was devised and tested using an international survey. The results demonstrate that the negation concept can be clearly understood by over 90% of the sample. The second step involved two full‐scale evacuation trials in a rail station that demonstrated that it was possible to direct over 60% of the participants to the targeted exit through the use of the Active Dynamic Signage System (ADSS). The ADSS makes use of the negated signage concept and a development involving a green flashing arrow within the standard emergency exit sign. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Stated and revealed exit choices of pedestrian crowd evacuees

IntroductionUnderstanding fundamental behavioural features regulating the escape wayfinding decisions of pedestrian humans in built environments has major implications for the safety planning and the risk-analysis of crowded public facilities. In contrast to the vast interest invested in modelling the momentary responses of evacuees to their immediate surroundings (i.e. the collision-avoidance models), their global navigation behaviour is poorly understood albeit believed to be a major determinant of the accuracy of the crowd simulation models. The primary challenge arises from the scarcity of reliable data suitable for modelling purposes causing the experimental knowledge in the field lagging substantially behind the corresponding model developments. Observations derived from fully natural emergency contexts (in the form of modelling material) are rare and collecting data in realistic experimental settings poses its own major challenges. Only few experimental modelling attempts have been reported thus far in relation with this problem primarily using the stated-choice (SC) methods. Modelling based on revealed choices (RC), however, has remained absent in this context leaving the findings of the SC experiments mostly unverified. It is still unclear whether we can reliably learn from the wayfinding choices made in virtually visualised environments without the decision-makers interacting with real individuals and the physical elements of the environment as they do in the real-world settings. Furthermore, the extent to which the findings of these experiments are specific to the particular characteristics of the environment visualised in the experiments is also unclear. MethodsTo bridge this gap, here we report on discrete-choice estimates derived from observations of both types. Three datasets of stated exit choices (4958 observations) were collected through face-to-face interviews with pedestrians in three public places with the experiments referring to the particular geometry of the place in which the participants were interviewed. Also, 3015 disaggregate real (or more precisely, “realistic”) exit choices were extracted through individual-level video analysis of the footage of a series of novel evacuation trials that simulate pedestrians’ emergency escape. The participants competed and interacted with real individuals in an actual crowd and made actual wayfinding decisions to make the quickest possible escape. Our particular interest was investigating the sample-to-sample variations and the context-dependence of the inferred estimates. ResultsWe observed fairly similar parameter estimate patterns emerged from all four datasets, and identified many behavioural aspects upon which all models consistently agreed regardless of their context of origin. Moreover, despite the significant differences between the parameter scales of the four models, the SC-generated models made predictions that were reasonably similar to those of the RC model as well as to those of the model derived from the combined data. ApplicationsOur findings provide promising evidence as to the potential applicability of the SC methods in particular as well as other forms of virtual-reality decision experiments in general as a practical, flexible and ethical approach for the continuation of research and advancing the state of knowledge in this field.

Establishing school bus baseline emergency evacuation times for elementary school students

Emergency evacuation systems are critical to mass transportation vehicles such as school buses. Previous bus fire propagation tests indicate that the available time for successful evacuation is approximately 3–5min. Many school districts in the United States utilize school bus routes that exclusively transport children in kindergarten through second/third grade where the bus driver is the only adult onboard. Currently, no standards specify the maximum allowable evacuation time for school buses. Full-scale evacuation trials were performed to measure front door, rear door, and both door (simultaneous) evacuation flow rates for kindergarten through third grade students. The evacuation trials indicated that the grade level of school bus passengers, and available evacuation routes have a significant effect on flow rate (p<0.05). For evacuation trials with driver’s assistance mean flow rate through the front door was 29children/min, 21children/min for the rear emergency door, and 36children/min for evacuations using both doors simultaneously.

Validation of advanced evacuation analysis on passenger ships using experimental scenario and data of full-scale evacuation

Evacuation analysis, which calculates the total evacuation time should be fulfilled for all passenger ships. One of the ways to calculate evacuation time is to use the computer simulation, which models various effects of human behaviors in an emergency situation. In the previous research, SIMPEV (SIMulation system for Passenger EVacuation) was developed for the evacuation analysis based on the latest human behavior algorithms. It has already showed that SIMPEV basically satisfied the eleven test cases suggested in International Maritime Organization (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee (MSC)’s Circulation 1238. The main focus of this paper is the validation of SIMPEV by using “SAFEGUARD Validation Data Set 1 and 2”, which performed real evacuation trials in two full-scale ships to compare simulation data with experimental data. Total evacuation time is computed by SIMPEV based on the validation data sets such as drawings, initial distributions and end locations. The results from 50 times simulation are analyzed to be compared with the experimental data in the statistical methods. From the results, it is found that SIMPEV satisfies the acceptance criteria for each of data sets. Furthermore, the results show a close similarity to those of the other simulation programs.

Experimental Study of the Impact of Personality Traits on Occupant Exit Choice During Building Evacuation

How do evacuees choose egress route and final exit during an emergency evacuation? This is an essential question within which human factors should be taken into account. Human factors, including personality, age and gender, play an important role during an emergency evacuation. Especially, personality trait varies among individuals. This paper focuses on the potential relationship between the occupants’ choice of egress route and final exit and their personality traits (mainly about conscientiousness). We carried out 8 evacuation trials in a school building using a group of students. A survey was conducted to qualitatively analyse the students’ evacuation behavior. A simplified Chinese version of NEO-FFI (Neuroticism Extraversion Openness Five-Factor Inventory) was also used to assess the students’ personality. The results show that: the participants’ choice of classroom exit is unbiased; Conscientiousness influences the way in which students decide their choice of classroom exit. Highly conscientiousness people are more rational when making a decision.

Consumption and gastric evacuation in juvenile red drum Sciaenops ocellatus (Linnaeus): Estimation of prey type effects and validation of field-based daily ration estimates

The red drum Sciaenops ocellatus (Linnaeus) is a dominant member of southeastern U.S.A. estuarine systems that feeds on numerous species of commercial and recreational value. Recovering red drum stocks highlight the need for quantification of feeding habits and rates of consumption to assess predatory impact. To validate field-based estimates of gastric evacuation rates and daily ration, a series of controlled laboratory experiments was completed for juvenile and sub-adult red drum (~60–600g). Influential factors examined included water temperature (17°C and 27°C), prey type (fish and crustacean prey), and red drum body size (small x¯=76.3g; large x¯=429.2g). Average maximum consumption rate varied between red drum body sizes and water temperatures. Small drum fed at a mean (±SD) rate of 18.9±0.6% body massd−1 at 27°C and 9.6±0.6% body massd−1 at 17°C, while large drum fed at a rate of 12.5±0.8% body massd−1 at 27°C and 6.3±0.4% body massd−1 at 17°C. Gross growth efficiency was generally consistent across factors, ranging between 13.2 and 16.3%, with small red drum being slightly more efficient. The rate of gastric emptying was influenced most by temperature and ranged from 4.0 to 9.4%h−1. The red drum body sizes and prey types we tested demonstrated only modest effects, with slightly faster evacuation rates by smaller red drum and for anchovy prey. Among the eight factor combinations (red drum size×water temperature×prey type) tested during gastric evacuation trials, half (four) of the relationships were best described by the square root model. However, model selection approaches revealed that multiple models provided adequate fit in nearly all cases. Laboratory estimates of red drum gastric evacuation and maximum consumption confirmed that previous field-based estimates were plausible.

The effect of overwing hatch placement on evacuation from smaller transport aircraft

Overwing exits are installed on a number of smaller transport aircraft. With a traditional overwing exit, once released, the hatch is not attached to the fuselage and will fall into the cabin. To operate, the hatch has to be brought inwards, manoeuvred and placed in a location where it does not obstruct egress. Accidents and experimental studies have shown that the hatch is not always disposed of into an appropriate location. Evacuation trials from a smaller transport aircraft cabin were conducted. The placement of the exit hatch was manipulated. The results indicated that hatch placement had a significant effect on passenger evacuation rates from a smaller transport aircraft, with the internal placement tested resulting in slower evacuation rates. The study has highlighted the importance of operators disposing of the hatch into a location whereby it does not impede egress. One way to ensure this would be the installation of an automatically disposed hatch. Statement of Relevance: It is important that all occupants can evacuate an aircraft rapidly if required. The influence of overwing hatch placement on evacuation from smaller transport aircraft was addressed Evacuation trials concluded that an inappropriately placed hatch can negatively influence evacuation rates. Improvements to exit design and passenger education were suggested.

The effect of overwing hatch placement on evacuation from smaller transport aircraft

Overwing exits are installed on a number of smaller transport aircraft. With a traditional overwing exit, once released, the hatch is not attached to the fuselage and will fall into the cabin. To operate, the hatch has to be brought inwards, manoeuvred and placed in a location where it does not obstruct egress. Accidents and experimental studies have shown that the hatch is not always disposed of into an appropriate location. Evacuation trials from a smaller transport aircraft cabin were conducted. The placement of the exit hatch was manipulated. The results indicated that hatch placement had a significant effect on passenger evacuation rates from a smaller transport aircraft, with the internal placement tested resulting in slower evacuation rates. The study has highlighted the importance of operators disposing of the hatch into a location whereby it does not impede egress. One way to ensure this would be the installation of an automatically disposed hatch.

Collection and Analysis of Pre-Evacuation Time Data Collected from Evacuation Trials Conducted in Library Facilities in Brazil

Two evacuation trials were conducted within Brazilian library facilities by FSEG staff in January 2005. These trials represent one of the first such trials conducted in Brazil. The purpose of these evacuation trials was to collect pre-evacuation time data from a population with a cultural background different to that found in western Europe. In total some 34 pre-evacuation times were collected from the experiments and these ranged from 5 to 98 seconds with a mean pre-evacuation time of 46.7 seconds

Analysing the Evacuation Procedures Employed on a Thames Passenger Boat Using the maritimeEXODUS Evacuation Model

On the 19 June 2001, a Thames passenger/tour boat underwent several evacuation trials. This work was conducted in order to collect data for the validation of marine-based computer models. The trials involved 111 participants who were distributed throughout the vessel. The boat had two decks and two points of exit from the lower deck placed on either side of the craft, forward and aft. The boat had a twin set of staircases towards the rear of the craft, just forward of the rear exits. maritimeEXODUS was used to simulate the full-scale evacuation trials conducted. The simulation times generated were compared against the original results and categorised according to the exit point availability. The predictions closely approximate the original results, differing by an average of 6.6% across the comparisons, with numerous qualitative similarities between the predictions and experimental results. The maritimeEXODUS evacuation model was then used to examine the evacuation procedure currently employed on the vessel. This was found to have potential to produce long evacuation times. maritimeEXODUS was used to suggest modifications to the mustering procedures. These theoretical results suggest that it is possible to significantly reduce evacuation times.

The Collection and Analysis of Pre-evacuation Times Derived from Evacuation Trials and Their Application to Evacuation Modelling

This paper presents data relating to occupant pre-evacuation times from university and hospital outpatient facilities. Although the two occupancies are entirely different, they do employ relatively similar procedures: members of staff sweep areas to encourage individuals to evacuate.However the manner in which the dependent population reacts to these procedures is quite different. In the hospital case, the patients only evacuated once a member of the nursing staff had instructed them to do so, while in the university evacuation, the students were less dependent upon the actions of the staff, with over 50% of them evacuating with no prior prompting. In addition, the student pre-evacuation time was found to be dependent on their level of engagement in various activities.

The Collection Of Pre-Evacuation Times From Evacuation Trials Involving A Hospital Outpatient Area And A University Library Facility

This paper presents data relating to occupant pre-evacuation times from a university and a hospital outpatient facility. Although the two structures are entirely different they do employ relatively similar procedures: members of staff sweeping areas of the structure to encourage individuals to evacuate. However, the manner in which the dependent population reacts to these procedures is quite different. In the hospital case the patients only evacuated once a member of the nursing staff had instructed them to do so while in the university evacuation the students were less dependent upon the actions of the staff with over 50% of them evacuating with no prior prompting. Although this data may be useful in a variety of areas, it was collected primarily for use within evacuation models.

The Effect Of Escape Route Lnforemation On Mobility And Way Finding Under Smoke Logged Conditions

Seventy-nine adult subjects had to find their way out of an experimental facility that provided the following information principles: visual discontinuous markings (e.g. signs), visual continuous markings, tactile continuous markings and combination of these principles. The dependent variables were; evacuation time, outcome of evacuation, memory of the escape route geometry, estimated evacuation time and subject's opinion. During evacuation trials the visibility distance was approximately 2.5 m. Analysis of the results indicate that continuous markings are superior to traditional exit signs. On the basis of these and other findings it is recommended that continuous tactile systems are used when expected optical density (OD) during evacuation exceeds 1.5. Visual continuous markings are recommended when 1.5 > OD > 0.1. Traditional exit signs are only recommended when expected OD < 0.1.