A Model for the Management of Building Evacuation

The process of emergency evacuation of large buildings has been modeled by computing the theoretically most efficient paths for occupants and then attempt ing to realise this recommenda tion in evacuation planning and management. A simulation approach is presented which reverses this sequence. The evacuation behavior of occu pants is modeled to predict and analyze the choices that lead to serious bottlenecks and an improvement strategy is developed from these results. An explanation of the basis for the model is presented, followed by examination of results of applying the model to Pauls' evacuation data and to a university building with complex exit structures.