1. Evacuation modeling concepts

1.1 Context

People evacuation is one of the essential parameters of fire safety in built environments.

Fire alarms, exit signs and emergency lighting are the most common means of facilitating emergency evacuation, both in buildings and in transport systems, while other devices such as partitioning and smoke extraction are designed to keep escape routes passable. Some structures require additional emergency exits or fire escapes to ensure the availability of alternative escape routes.

With the increasing complexity of the evacuation scheme or environment, and the diminishing capacity of individuals to move during a fire, a change in strategy is observed: occupants move from a desire to get out quickly to a slow evacuation. They even...