Introduction.
Introduction.
(69 K)
Peacock, R. D.; Kuligowski, E. D.
NIST SP 1032; January 2005.
Workshop on Building Occupant Movement During Fire
Emergencies. Proceedings. June 10-11, 2004,
Gaithersburg, MD, Peacock, R. D.; Kuligowski, E. D.,
Editor(s)(s), 3-3 pp, 2005.
Keywords:
occupants; people movement; emergencies; codes;
standards; evacuation; egress
Abstract:
Both before and since the World Trade Center tower
collapses, there have been far too frequent events in
which there was extensive life loss because the time
needed for safe evacuation from a threatened building
was not available - it was less than the time available
for escape. There is a broad range of emergency
scenarios for which there is an alarming gap between the
public expectation of safety and the ability to provide
it. These include man-made threats, natural disasters,
and the more common system failures (e.g., gas leaks and
power outages). The urgency of response to knowing
something is very wrong within a building is now being
accentuated and perhaps even changed, as the old
paradigms of "orderly movement will get you out in time"
and "find a safe part of the building and wait for
rescue" are open to question. Thus, the need for
accurate, quantitative assessment of people movement in
emergencies has never been greater than it is today.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899