Pre-Movement Behaviour and Times In Health Sector Building

Evacuations

Catriona MacCallum

Pre-Movement Behaviour and Time

•Pre-Movement Behaviour encompasses all actions taken between the initial recognition of a fire cue and actual escape movement.

• Pre-Movement Time is the time taken between initial response to a fire cue and the decision to move towards an escape route.

ASET/RSET

• Within a Performance Based Design the ASET/RSET concept is practiced to determine whether a design is safe and provides adequate escape time or not.

• ASET – Available Safe Egress Time.

• RSET – Required Safe Egress Time.

• When ASET>RSET, the design is considered safe.

• The ASET/RSET concept is considered by some to be flawed as:– Takes no account of variations in capabilities & physical

condition of an individual. – It assumes that a person will move robotically to the best

exit.– It also ignores the wide variety of fire scenarios which can

drastically change both RSET and ASET within the same building.

• A Comparable Margin of Safety between two different strategies has been suggested.

Health Sector Evacuations• Individuals in the health sector are often dependant on the

actions and instructions of staff. • It is difficult to predict which injuries/capabilities will present

the greatest difficulty to staff during an evacuation.

Evaluation Process• Questionnaires

– to evaluate and analyze the difference in behaviour and emotions between Evacuation Drills and an Actual Evacuations.

• Interviews with staff – compile a schedule of methods used to evacuate during a fire and

compare these with best practice; – to evaluate recommendations from staff members with regards to what

they feel works during an actual evacuation.

• Using historical research – to evaluate the effects of smoke, CO & HCN on movement and evaluate

the effects of different quantities produced from different burning matter under flaming and smoldering conditions.

• Using a test site – to analyze the fire scenario, actual

evacuation data, drill data and time scales to evaluate how they compare with published material.

• Using raw data– To evaluate whether ASET/RSET or

Comparative Margin of Safety would have provided a more effective evacuation for staff and patients alike.

Progress & Future Work

• Progress– This work has been under-investigation for approximately 2 months;– The initial questionnaires have been created & reviewed. – Negotiations are on-going with target hospitals and the HSE.

• To be completed– Final questionnaire(s) to be distributed;– Evacuations to be carried out and or historical evacuations analysed;– Interviews to be scheduled;– Data to be analyzed and conclusions drawn.

Thank you for your time.

Questions?

Catriona MacCallum

Pre-Movement Behaviour and Times In Health Sector Building Evacuations