A Review of Building Evacuation Models - NIST Virtual Library
A Review of Building Evacuation Models - NIST Virtual Library
A Review of Building Evacuation Models - NIST Virtual Library
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types <strong>of</strong> subroutines consist <strong>of</strong> those which simulate perception and information gathering and<br />
subroutines which simulate information processing and decision-making. An explanation <strong>of</strong><br />
each type is provided below:<br />
Subroutines GROUP, OTHERS, AGREE: These subroutines consists <strong>of</strong> programs that establish<br />
the social environment as the event progresses. GROUP uses the subroutines OTHERS and<br />
AGREE to inform the occupant whether any other occupants occupy the same space as the<br />
current occupant, whether any others in the space have information unknown to the current<br />
occupant, whether others in the space are injured, and whether all occupants can agree on an<br />
effective exit route. Route choice depends upon an occupant’s perception <strong>of</strong> the situation,<br />
familiarity with the building, lack <strong>of</strong> information about fire incident, etc.<br />
Subroutine BYSTND: This subroutine will be called if an occupant is occupying a space with an<br />
injured or disabled occupant. BYSTND determines probabilistically if the occupant ignores,<br />
approaches, or stays to assist the disabled occupant.<br />
Subroutine JAMMED: This subroutine enables the occupant to assess the degree <strong>of</strong> crowding <strong>of</strong><br />
the area/location he/she wishes to enter. If the occupant looks ahead to the next space, he/she<br />
counts the number <strong>of</strong> occupants already there. If this number is larger than the pre-set crowding<br />
tolerance, this route is rejected from the choices <strong>of</strong> movement.<br />
Subroutine KPOSS: This subroutine allows the occupant to “see” or scan each potential move<br />
and determine if it is physically possible to pass through. This allows the occupant to avoid<br />
paths constrained by walls or other physical barriers.<br />
Subroutine INTRPT: This subroutine probabilistically determines whether an occupant’s<br />
behavior will be interrupted during a time frame, either by remaining in place or backtracking.<br />
Subroutine BACKUP: This allows the occupant to retrace his/her steps back toward the initial<br />
starting position. Once at this point, the occupant resumes the decision-making process.<br />
Subroutines ASSIGN, DOORS1, and DOORS2: This model can assign a bias to the occupant’s<br />
decision-making behavior. This is meant to assign probabilities to decisions made throughout<br />
the simulation, which may be more likely than others. DOORS1 controls the probability <strong>of</strong> the<br />
occupant opening a closed door during the evacuation. DOORS2 controls the behavior <strong>of</strong><br />
whether or not the occupant will close the door behind him/her once passing through.<br />
Subroutine EQUALZ: This is used to satisfy the condition <strong>of</strong> “no bias” or equalizing the<br />
probability values <strong>of</strong> available alternative moves.<br />
Subroutine TBIAS: This routine establishes probabilities for moves which favor maximizing an<br />
occupant’s distance from threat, such as fire or smoke.<br />
Subroutine EBIAS: This subroutine uses probabilities that favor moves that minimize an<br />
occupant’s distance from an exit.<br />
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