Building designers often forget how important the reactions of the human occupants are when they specify fire and life safety systems.
Installation of photoluminescent wayguidance system; full lighting on the left and no lighting on the right
Building designers often view fire safety as providing a series of construction and hardware solutions, such as fire resistance ratings, exit stairs, automatic sprinklers and smoke control. Over the past decades, however, in many cases at considerable cost, it has been found that these built-in features do not necessarily establish occupant safety at the desired level. What is often missing is an adequate recognition of the importance of the behaviour and reactions of the human occupants. By applying an "occupant-based" approach, whether this means selecting the right equipment or implementing education programs, it is more likely that the fire safety solutions will support the safe evacuation of occupants in the event of a fire.
This article addresses some occupant-based solutions that have been shown by research to have a significant impact on improving fire safety.
