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Summary Refuge areas have been utilized for some time in multistorey buildings as an integral part of evacuation strategies for those with mobility impairments. Nevertheless, there has been little research on the level of understanding of what a refuge is, nor on the views or concerns of users in the event of an emergency. This paper reports on a study to determine the knowledge and concerns that people with reduced mobility have regarding refuges, and their willingness to use them. Results indicated that almost half of the sample who ‘could not’ or ‘would find it difficult’ to descend one storey had little or no knowledge of a refuge. Having been made aware of what a refuge was and how it might be used, over three‐quarters of respondents said they would be prepared to use it. Nevertheless, 60% of respondents felt that they would not be comfortable remaining in a refuge for more than 10 min without assistance. Major concerns were ‘being forgotten’, ‘lack of information/ communication on the waiting time prior to assistance arriving’, and ‘being left alone’. This paper also identifies how confidence to remain in a refuge may be increased and explores awareness and feelings regarding vertical evacuation options. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Summary Research has highlighted that older people, that is, those aged 60 and over, are over‐represented in fatal fire statistics across the globe. The aim of this study was to investigate the circumstances surrounding fatal fires involving older people and examine the role of individuals and agencies that are in contact with the most vulnerable and how they can be involved in reducing fire risk. The study was conducted in two phases. Firstly, a retrospective analysis was conducted of the circumstances surrounding 99 accidental fatal dwelling fires involving 100 older people during a 20‐year period. Results suggested that most fires ignited in the living room or the bedroom and these were also the most common locations of the fatalities. The most common causes of the fire were smoking materials, hot coals, cooking and electrical faults and the majority of older fire fatalities had a smoke alarm which operated. Importantly, there was evidence of regular contact between the fatality and at least one other individual from the community prior to the fire. For this reason, the second phase of the research involved focus groups with friends, relatives, neighbours and carers of older people with a view to understanding their attitudes and experiences with regard to fire safety. Overall, the focus groups provided evidence that those in contact with older people regularly observe fire risks in the homes of older people. In addition, gaps were evident in the fire safety knowledge, not only of older people, but also for those assisting older people. In light of the findings, this article also considers the core messages that should be included in any potential future fire safety intervention strategies aimed at the older adult.

Summary An understanding of the behaviour of individuals and groups during evacuation is key to the development of evacuation scenarios as part of an engineering design solution. Furthermore, it is important that engineers have reliable and accurate data on pre‐evacuation times and movement for use in time‐based evacuation analysis. This paper presents, for the first time in the published literature, a detailed analysis of an unannounced evacuation of licensed premises and provides important data and understanding regarding behaviour for use in fire safety engineering design and evacuation modelling. Findings on recognition times, response behaviours, pre‐evacuation times and final exit flows for a function room and lounge bar in the licensed property are provided. The results suggest that the evacuation time in the lounge bar was characterised by generally longer pre‐evacuation times and relatively shorter movement times, whereas the evacuation time in the more densely populated function room was characterised by shorter pre‐evacuation times but extended flow times. The paper highlights important design and management issues with respect to the evacuation of persons under the influence of alcohol and considers the impact of staff intervention through directed voice communications. The variation in response behaviours between the two separate areas of the premises are highlighted and discussed. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.