Evaluating Fire Risk of Long-term Care Hospitals for the Elderly
Long-term care hospitals for the elderly have a high risk of fire. To reduce this risk, the installation of a horizontal refuge area has been stipulated since 2015. However, most hospitals are still at risk due to the lack of retroactive regulations. Therefore, in this study, the efficiency of the horizontal refuge area was analyzed through evacuation safety evaluation using fire and evacuation simulations. As a result of evacuation safety evaluation for the two hospitals, the reduction ratio of evacuation time was 70% (day time) and 77% (night time). In addition, evacuation safety can be secured through the installation of a horizontal refuge area. The results of this study are expected to be used as a basis for preparing retroactive regulations for horizontal refuge areas in long-term care hospitals for the elderly in the future.