Occupants’ Perspectives of the Use of Smartphones during Fire Evacuation from High-Rise Residential Buildings

Abstract

Over the past few years there has been a significant change in fire safety design and management. As the possibility of safe escape is the most crucial aspect of a building’s fire safety features, the understanding of human behaviour under fire conditions is important for a successful evacuation. Previous research studies have developed models, prototypes, and serious games that help engineers/architects to design or firefighters to improve design so that the building facilitates a smooth evacuation process. Although these studies have looked into human behaviour, perceptions of important stakeholders (such as occupants, structural engineers, fire engineers, facility managers) are still not understood. These perceptions are important for the appropriate application of technology for evacuation. The broader research effort, of which this paper is part, stems from the premise that bespoke evacuation instructions can be sent directly to evacuees’ smartphones. Information from a BIM model with the aid of sensors can be used to customise these evacuation instructions. The prospect of information being delivered to occupants during a fire emergency is still at its premature phase and more research is needed. Twenty-three interviews were conducted with occupants who currently live in high-rise residential buildings in Egypt and the United Kingdom to understand their views of using smartphones to assist during fire evacuations. The sampling strategy targeted occupants who currently live in high-rise residential buildings but have not necessarily experienced a fire evacuation. The research clearly shows the importance of smartphones during evacuation and the role they can play in assisting occupants to find the fastest and safest egress route. The interview findings will assist in future research to develop an evacuation framework system that could be implemented for high-rise residential buildings.

The Integration of Internet of Things (IoT) Technology into Fire Evacuation Plan in High-rise Buildings

“…The issue of fire escape becomes increasingly crucial in safety management as the number of high-rise structures rises. Traditional fire escape methods may lead to untimely evacuation and improper choice of escape routes when facing the challenges of high-rise buildings, threatening the lives of residents [5]. However, IoT technology offers new solutions for fire escape in high-rise buildings.…”

Fire-Spread Characteristics and Evacuation Plan Optimization of Old Style Multi-Story Student Apartments

“…In terms of new methods, Gerges et al [19] and Minji et al [20] observed the impact of dynamic emergency clues on evacuation, and sent the evacuation instructions directly to the mobile phones of the evacuees through customization to intelligently find the best exit route for evacuation. Fang et al [21] discussed the advantages and disadvantages of current intelligent fire evacuation by using the Internet of Things.…”

Effect of Socioeconomic Characteristics of Residential Building Occupants on Level of Fire Disaster Preparedness

“…On the contrary, lack of awareness makes building users not to feel the need to prepare for fire incidents and this makes make them nonchalant about the availability or unavailability and use of firefighting equipment and appurtenances, they also see no need to get trained for fire safety (Zhou, 2017). Gerges et al (2022) opined that the principal aim of FDP is to present a safe environment for all building users at all times in the building. Careful and orderly evacuation is important in order to protect occupants of a building during a fire incident (Jetvic, 2021).…”