Understanding Human Behaviour in Stressful Situations

The events of September 11, 2001 have shocked the public imagination regarding the safety of highrise buildings. Prior to these events, the reluctance to evacuate upon hearing the fire alarm signal was regularly observed in highrise buildings. Following the tragic events of September 11, many highrises were totally evacuated on minimal cues. The perception of risk seems to have been heightened right after the event but will this condition last over time? Highrise buildings are seldom meant to be totally evacuated. The strategy used instead is phased evacuation or a protect-in-place approach. Today during an emergency, are highrise building occupants prepared to stay in and wait to be instructed before leaving the building? Studies should investigate the risk perceived by highrise building occupants since September 11 and how these perceptions might change over time. Further studies should compare highrise occupant intention of response during an emergency and actual response through unannounced drills. Authorities, architects and engineers need these findings in order to appropriately design buildings, fire safety systems, training materials and instructions provided to occupants during an emergency.