Managing evacuating people from facilities during a fire emergency

Abstract

A review of research, interviews and experiments at an IKEA building are presented with results that could affect the planning and real time management. Subjects had to choose between a normal exit and an emergency exit in different conditions. The results show that the majority of subjects choose the normal exit even if the distance is double compared to the emergency exit. The only exception is when the emergency exit is open and it is possible to see the daylight outside. Findings show that a ring signal is often misunderstood but a spoken message is understandable.

Citation

Benthorn, L. and Frantzich, H. (1999), "Managing evacuating people from facilities during a fire emergency", Facilities, Vol. 17 No. 9/10, pp. 325-330. https://doi.org/10.1108/02632779910278737