Behavioral Research on Fire Evacuation and Decision-Making Processes

Dear Colleagues,

It is nearly impossible to avoid having fire accidents, and occupants evacuating from hazardous areas should be considered as a mitigation measure. Evacuation often involves delays, hesitation, and unpredictable actions like returning back to retrieve belongings or to help others. These behavioral reactions relating to fire evacuation may be considered as individual actions or group reactions, including decision-making, movement patterns, risk perception, and social interactions. Some studies have revealed the pre-evacuation behavioral decision time may be much longer than the time taken for traveling to the place of safety. It implies that the pre-evacuation decision-making process may influence the success or failure of evacuations. By studying these behaviors, researchers and engineers may establish more effective safety protocols that save lives and minimize injuries. Moreover, research findings may provide “behavioral facts” to refine computer simulation models, making simulations more accurate and predictive. Carefully studying the pre-evacuation decision-making process, which involves recognition, validation, definition, and evaluation stages, may provide insights influencing the design of warning system, public announcement, facility management, and planning of evacuation strategies. During evacuation, helping evacuees to efficiently find their way out of the hazardous place is also important. Wayfinding heavily relates to the behavioral reactions of evacuees during evacuations, interacting with psychological factors like stress and social influence. Previous studies have indicated that well-designed signages not only accelerates route selection but also alleviates anxiety. We also need to explore ways to help disabled people evacuate safely from buildings by considering their movement and behaviour. We encourage authors to submit papers that thoroughly investigate the above-mentioned issues.

Prof. Dr. Siu Ming Lo
Guest Editor

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