Characteristic Features of the Behavior and Perception of Evacuees from the Daegu Subway Fire and Safety Measures in an Underground Fire

Abstract In this research study, the authors examined the behavioral characteristics of the evacuees who survived the Daegu subway fire on February 15, 2003, and matters related to evacuation were analyzed through interviews and questionnaires. The authors selected the Daegu subway fire survivors as their research subjects in order to understand human behavior concerning an underground emergency and to obtain ″close-to-reality″ data. Data, with regard to this research, is required in order to develop a method of minimizing life-threatening dangers and provide evacuation safety based directly on those who survived the actual evacuation process in the February 15, 2003 Daegu subway fire. This study found that the various spatial, environmental, and human factors made evacuation very difficult. When the fire broke out, 24.5% of the passengers reacted passively instead of instantly taking evacuation action; there is a statistical difference between the location of the carriage on the train and the factors that influenced each person′s decision to take refuge (x2=34.186, df=15, p=0.003<0.05). The greatest obstacles to evacuees were bad visibility (68.7%) due to smoke, and 93.3% of the subjects did not have significant help from the exit light they saw while evacuating. Finally, only 12% of the survivors evacuated through appropriate escape routes and exits.