Emergency preparedness for tunnel fires – A systems-oriented approach

Bjelland, Henrik; Njå, Ove; Heskestad, Atle William; Braut, Geir Sverre

doi:10.1016/j.ssci.2021.105408

Cited by 16 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…New ICS organizations can take advantage of bureaucracy's control and efficiency advantages while avoiding or overcoming its bureaucratic habits. Bjelland et al [22] noted that continual improvement in the design, planning, and operation stages is necessary to achieve the effective management and control of tunnel fires. Furthermore, emergency response plans must be adjusted according to risk assessment results, with their scope extending to detection, alarm, mobilization, disaster rescue, evacuation, and maintenance and management at normal times.…”

Section: Emergency Reesponse Plan Of the Incident Command Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of a BIM-Based Cyber-Physical System and Intelligent Disaster Prevention System in Taipei Main Station

Lin

Hsieh

et al. 2022

Applied Sciences

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Because of its large area and complicated space utilization, in the event of a disaster, rescue efforts in specific areas of Taipei Main Station would be difficult. In addition, rescue efforts are also difficult to implement, because each area is managed by different units. In order to ensure emergency and safe evacuation of passengers and reduce the loss of related property during a disaster, a suitable disaster prevention system is required. This study conducted risk assessment based on the triggering factors of disaster types over the years. After synthesizing the results of the disaster risk assessment, a disaster preparedness contingency plan was designed. According to the Incident Command System (ICS), this study formulated the usual management measures and emergency response procedures for various levels of disasters. When an accident occurs, the system can automatically initiate various emergency disaster relief measures, monitor the development of the incident, transmit disaster information, and coordinate disaster emergency response procedures. This study established a building information modeling (BIM)-based cyber-physical system (CPS) and intelligent disaster prevention system integrated under the overall management of the Intelligent Joint Emergency Operation Center. The “Taipei Main Station Intelligent Disaster Prevention System” can manage the disaster prevention and relief information of various business entities in a unified way, and provide an intelligent disaster prevention function integrating BIM and virtual reality (VR). This system is functionally verified through exercises such as short-circuiting of wires in advertising boxes, firefighter disaster relief drills, indiscriminate violent attacks, and demolition of explosives. In this study, ICS was established through expert interviews, disaster-causing factors over the years, and a cloud-based electronic management system was established in combination with the BIM platform. The system provides emergency and safe evacuation of passengers in the event of a disaster, and reduces the loss of related properties.

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Section: Emergency Reesponse Plan Of the Incident Command Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of a BIM-Based Cyber-Physical System and Intelligent Disaster Prevention System in Taipei Main Station

Lin

Hsieh

et al. 2022

Applied Sciences

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“…Incidents around the turn of the millennium revealed shortcomings in tunnel-specific preparedness and response, such as command and communication problems due to multiple scenes and a lack of experience regarding tunnel environments (Holgersson et al, 2020;Nj a and Svela, 2018). As tunnels become more complex infrastructure systems, the need to increase preparedness and learn from experiences to ensure effective tunnel responses is evident (Bjelland et al, 2021;Casse and Caroly, 2019).…”

Section: Introduction and Aimmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is a process that relies not only on technical and safety issues but also how emergency services coordinate their response and manage to establish their roles and procedures (Holgersson et al, 2020;Hylander et al, 2019). It has been pointed out that current approaches focus on tunnel design and risk analysis, implying a lack of focus on tunnel management and actual response (Alvear et al, 2013;Bjelland et al, 2021). Forums for clarifying terminology and procedures (Hylander et al, 2022) and inter-professional discussions (Casse and Caroly, 2019), has been suggested as a key for improving safety and quality of tunnel responses.…”

Section: Introduction and Aimmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Building “common knowledge” when responding to major road tunnel incidents: an inter-organisational focus group study

Eklund

Karlsson

2022

IJES

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PurposeMajor incidents in tunnel environment will pose several challenges for the emergency service organisations in terms of heat, visibility and lack of experiences from working in confined environments. These aspects, in turn, could pose challenges to establish collaboration. This study aims to contribute to the field of collaborative tunnel responses by exploring how “common knowledge” (Edwards, 2011) is built by the emergency services organisations, that is, what the organisations consider important while working on a potentially common problem, and their motives for the interpretations and actions if a major tunnel incident occurs.Design/methodology/approachParticipants from the road traffic control centre, emergency dispatch centre, emergency medical service, rescue service and police were included in the study. Data from four focus group sessions was analysed using thematic analysis.FindingsThe study revealed that the tunnel environment presents specific aspects of how common knowledge was produced related to lifesaving and safety. The themes structuring mechanisms to reduce uncertainty, managing information for initial priorities, aligning responsibilities without hampering each other's work and adjusting actions to manage distance, illustrated how common knowledge was produced as crucial aspects to a collaborative response. Organising management sites, grasping and communicating risks, accessing the injury victims, was challenged by the confined environment, physical distances and imbalance in access to information and preparedness activities in tunnel environments.Originality/valueThis study offers new insights of common knowledge, by illustrating a motive perspective on collaborative responses in tunnel incidents. Creating interoperability calls not just for readiness for action and tunnel safety, but also training activities acknowledging different interpretations and motives to further develop tunnel responses.

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“…In recent years, the key research directions include the analyses of tunnel ventilation performance in the event of a fire and the analyses of fire smoke spread [1][2][3][4]. Other major directions include technical solutions for reducing smoke density in the tunnel interiors and improving the effectiveness of rescue operations [5][6][7][8], organizational solutions and procedures aimed at reducing risk level [9,10] or analyses the effectiveness of both self-evacuation and rescue operations [1,[11][12][13]. A fire in traffic tunnels is always associated with an increase in the risk of people and emergency services operating in the area being trapped inside.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Light Wavelengths on Visibility in Smoke during a Tunnel Fire

Koch¹,

Niewiadomski

Wrona

2021

Sustainability

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The occurrence of fire in road tunnels poses high risks to the life and health of people. The resulting smoke, fire gases and high temperatures can be the cause of poisoning and burns. Additionally, dense smoke can significantly reduce visibility, which can result in difficulties during evacuation. This paper aims to investigate the effect of specific wavelengths of visible light on visibility in smoke conditions and to determine the wavelength of light (colour) that can improve visibility in smoke-filled environments. A rubber mixture with polyester and polyamide spacers was selected as a combustible material in order to obtain more realistic conditions with respect to smoke parameters. These plastics are commonly used, among others, in tires, elements of engine plating, upholstery or truck trailer covers. Then, in a test fire chamber laboratory, the colour of light (wavelength) was determined, obtaining the highest transmittance value, understood as the amount of radiation transmitted through the substance. It has been shown that devices emitting a light wave of a specific length can significantly improve visibility in smoke-filled environment.

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Emergency preparedness for tunnel fires – A systems-oriented approach

Cited by 16 publications

References 18 publications

Study of a BIM-Based Cyber-Physical System and Intelligent Disaster Prevention System in Taipei Main Station

Study of a BIM-Based Cyber-Physical System and Intelligent Disaster Prevention System in Taipei Main Station

Building “common knowledge” when responding to major road tunnel incidents: an inter-organisational focus group study

Influence of Light Wavelengths on Visibility in Smoke during a Tunnel Fire

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