On the effectiveness of multi-feature evacuation systems: an agent-based exploratory simulation study

Evacuation modeling and simulation are usually used to explore different possibilities for evacuation, however, it is a real challenge to integrate different categories of characteristics in unified modeling space. In this paper, we propose an agent-based model of an evacuating crowd so that a comparative analysis of a different sets of parameters categorized as individual, social and technological aspects, is made possible. In particular, we focus on the question of rationality vs. emotionalism of individuals in a localized social context. In addition to that, we propose and model the concept of extended social influence, thereby embedding technological influence within the social influence, and analyze its impact on the efficiency of evacuation. NetLogo is used for simulating different variations in environments, evacuation strategies, and agents demographics. Simulation results revealed that there is no substantial advantage of informational overload on people, as this might work only in those situations, where there are fewer chances of herding. In more serious situations, people should be left alone to decide. They, however, could be trained in drills, to avoid panicking in such situations and concentrate on making their decisions solely based on the dynamics of their surroundings. It was also learned that distant connectivity has no apparent advantage and can be ruled out while designing an evacuation strategy based on these recommendations.

Analysis of human behavior in case of fire inside a high-rise building: effect of risk perception and Individual's location

PurposeThe main purpose of this research is to achieve the evacuation strategy of people in high-rise office buildings. This purpose is achieved by identifying the individuals' behaviors during a fire accident and the relationship between these behaviors and their risk perception.Design/methodology/approachThe method of this study is mixed-methods type. The first stage was carried out using the qualitative method and descriptive phenomenology and the analyses were done using the Colaizzi method, and the second stage was carried out using the quantitative method of field descriptive survey type whose analyses were conducted through SPSS software.FindingsThe results reveal that the individuals attempting evacuation from the upper floors above the fire level were mostly injured and the ones who remained in the building and got help from fire fighters were rescued. At the end, the study goes on to suggest the stay-in-place approach with regards to the behaviors formed in individuals, closed plan of architectural design, lack of suitable fire extinguishers as well as inappropriate individual trainings.Research limitations/implicationsLack of similar research in the field of fire in Iran caused bottlenecks such as lack of cooperation of relevant organizations in the path of the research. Another factor that limited the present research was the determination of people trapped in fire. In this case, those who were present in the incident had to be chosen and the questionnaire was completed based on their opinions. This limited the research for reasons such as the relocation of some people from buildings or their death.Practical implicationsThe practical results of this research can be used in reviewing the rules and regulations of high-rise building fire code. By properly compiling the regulations of high-rise building codes based on this research, human injuries in fire hazards can be greatly prevented. Due to the collapse of the Plasco building in Iran and the creation of inappropriate memories in the minds of people of high-rise buildings, with the construction of buildings based on the rules and regulations in accordance with the fire code, the construction market as well as the sale and purchase of such buildings will flourish and numerous financial and job turnovers are created in the field of this type of buildings.Originality/valueThis study is innovative in determining appropriate evacuation strategy that are related to the individuals' risk perception in high-rise buildings, as well as achieving results to review the rules and regulations of high-rise office buildings based on the high-rise building fire code.

A cooperative evacuation strategy for mass passenger flow in urban rail transit transfer stations

In reviewing the evacuation problem of mass passenger flow in urban rail transit transfer stations, the cooperative evacuation strategy considering urban rail transit and emergency bus simultaneously is found to be an efficient way. In this work, firstly, the dynamic characteristics of mass passenger flow are analyzed based on the abstraction and simplification of major entities of urban rail transit, including passengers, stations and trains. Then, the operations of the urban rail transit system are modeled, including the boarding, landing and transferring processes of the passengers and the status updating flows of the trains and stations. To realize the cooperative evacuation, a multi-objective optimization model considering the evacuation speed, the number of passengers transferred, and the amount of emergency buses is proposed. The NSGA-II algorithm is adopted to solve the proposed model, which can balance the theoretical validity and computational convenience. Last, the proposed strategy is applied in a real-life case based on the Shanghai Metro line, and the results verify its effectiveness and efficiency.