Forest fires are an annual occurrence in many parts of the world forcing large-scale evacuation. ... more Forest fires are an annual occurrence in many parts of the world forcing large-scale evacuation. The frequent and growing occurrence of these events makes it necessary to develop appropriate evacuation plans for areas that are susceptible to forest fires. The buildingEXODUS evacuation model has been extended to model large-scale urban evacuations by including the road network and open spaces (e.g. parks, green spaces and town squares) along with buildings. The evacuation simulation results have been coupled with the results of a forest fire spread model and applied to the Swinley forest fire which occurred in Berkshire, UK in May 2011. Four evacuation procedures differing in the routes taken by the pedestrians were evaluated providing key evacuation statistics such as time to reach the assembly location, the distance travelled, congestion experienced by the agents and the safety margins associated with using each evacuation route. A key finding of this work is the importance of formulating evacuation procedures that identifies the threatened population, provides timely evacuation notice, identifies appropriate routes that maintains a safe distance from the hazard front thereby maximising safety margins even at the cost of taking longer evacuation routes. Evacuation simulation offers a means of achieving these goals.
Proceedings of the 4t International Symposium on Human Behaviour in Fire, Jul 15, 2009
Within the building evacuation context, wayfinding describes the process in which an individual l... more Within the building evacuation context, wayfinding describes the process in which an individual located within an arbitrarily complex enclosure attempts to find a path which leads them to relative safety, usually the exterior of the enclosure. Within most evacuation modelling tools, wayfinding is completely ignored; agents are either assigned the shortest distance path or use a potential field to find the shortest path to the exits. In this paper a novel wayfinding technique that attempts to represent the manner in which people ...
Based on response time data for library buildings in Turkey, Poland, Czech Republic and UK and di... more Based on response time data for library buildings in Turkey, Poland, Czech Republic and UK and directed towards End-Users such as Design engineers and regulators as a core recommendation or application, it can be stated that the data collected for Turkey, Poland and the Czech Republic is the first of its kind. This data will be of great use to design engineers who have up until this time had to make assumptions for response time data for use in this type of structures. Response time data of any kind, for Turkey and Czech Republic has never been published prior to this work.
The primary focus of this book is to demonstrate results of the international BeSeCu (BeSeCu stan... more The primary focus of this book is to demonstrate results of the international BeSeCu (BeSeCu stands for Behaviour, Security and Culture) project on human responses to emergencies and disasters - a project that followed an interdisciplinary research approach, incorporating disciplines such as the social sciences, health sciences, mathematical and computer sciences. However, this book will also highlight collaboration beyond these disciplines, i.e. the scientific view on human responses is complemented by the perspectives of the fire and medical services since these are important groups of first responders involved in such incidents
Professor Ed Galea CEng, MIFireE provides a welcome to Pedestrian and Evacuation Dynamics 2003, (... more Professor Ed Galea CEng, MIFireE provides a welcome to Pedestrian and Evacuation Dynamics 2003, (PED 2003) to be held in London on 20-22 August 2003.
The aim of the BeSeCu (Behaviour, Security and Culture) project is to investigate cross-cultural ... more The aim of the BeSeCu (Behaviour, Security and Culture) project is to investigate cross-cultural and ethnic differences of human behaviour in crisis situations in order to better tailor security related communication, instructions and procedures with a view to improving evacuation and protection. The project will provide evidence that will be useful to first responders, building designers and those involved in the development of emergency operating procedures for buildings. Project BeSeCu was funded by the EU Seventh Framework Program of security research, BeSeCu (project no. 218324) with a budget of Euro 2.1 million and ran from 2008-2011.
Benjamin's 1929 article, 'Surrealism: The last snapshot of the European Intelligentsia'. Respondi... more Benjamin's 1929 article, 'Surrealism: The last snapshot of the European Intelligentsia'. Responding to Marxist understandings of the 'Surrealism' article, this thesis contributes to a position put forth by Gershom Scholem regarding Benjamin's later writings: that anarchism remains a distinct and alternative path in Benjamin's thought, a path indebted to a youthful engagement with anarchist ideas. Utilising this understanding of anarchism in Benjamin's later writings, it is argued that a positive understanding of anarchism in Benjamin's 'Surrealism' article is discernible, and it exists in the ambiguous subordination of both anarchism and intoxication before that of Benjamin's avowedly Marxist position, as expressed in the idea of profane illumination. It is thus considered how a positive understanding of anarchism and intoxication in Benjamin's 'Surrealism' article is evident not from the perspective of the article's conclusions, but from the ambiguities of these conclusions. These tensions are further emphasised in focusing upon the temporal discontinuities of Benjamin's work and the discordant ordering of his writings. Focusing specifically on Benjamin's childhood remembrances, written after the publication of his 'Surrealism' article, it is to be considered how these remembrances, or "images" grant a positive status for Benjamin's youthful concerns, a point with demonstrable connections to both anarchism and intoxication. These youthful "images" are understood as offering a new trajectory or pathway in readings of Benjamin's 'Surrealism' article, wherein anarchism together with intoxication are presented as an alternative path unbound from their tense subordination beneath Marxism and the profane illumination. In contemplation of this alternative path, concluding remarks engage with the lineaments of a potential "anarchic illumination." And, as with Benjamin's "images" of childhood, these potentialities are to be found in those of Benjamin's earlier writings that profess a sympathetic portrayal of anarchism and intoxication. 32 In a letter to Gershom Scholem of May 29, 1926, Benjamin can still state, even as he pronounces a shift towards Marxism that "I am not ashamed of my "early" anarchism.
FAA/JAA conference in Atlantic City October 2001, to appear in conference proceedings and official FAA/JAA aviation report, Sep 1, 2002
1. ABSTRACT Computer based mathematical models describing the aircraft evacuation process have a ... more 1. ABSTRACT Computer based mathematical models describing the aircraft evacuation process have a vital role to play in the design and development of safer aircraft, the implementation of safer and more rigorous certification criteria, in cabin crew training and post-mortem accident investigation. As the risk of personal injury and the costs involved in performing full-scale certification trials are high, the development and use of these evacuation modelling tools are essential. The airEXODUS evacuation model has been ...
The ability to predict the likely movement and behaviour of people under emergency conditions is ... more The ability to predict the likely movement and behaviour of people under emergency conditions is essential in the design of safer buildings. Professor Ed Galea describes the modelling techniques available.
In response to a development contract from Transport Canada for a simulation program for ship eva... more In response to a development contract from Transport Canada for a simulation program for ship evacuation, BMT Fleet Technology Limited constructed a custom facility to collect human performance data to support evacuation simulation. The Ship Evacuation Behaviour Assessment (SHEBA) facility has been in operation for two years, and has collected timing and behaviour data for personnel moving and performing shipboard activities under difficult circumstances.
During a major evacuation of high capacity buildings, such as a tower block or transportation hub... more During a major evacuation of high capacity buildings, such as a tower block or transportation hub, the emergency services will need to consider the safety of the people within the vicinity of the emergency. However, in general, when assessing the safety of a building for evacuation only the behaviour within the building is considered. One method of assessing this is to utilise a computer based simulation tool. This research outlines a number of developments required to simulate the impact of traffic on the evacuation process in an urban environment in relation to post-exiting behaviour. It uses a unique data set and model capabilities for representing pedestrian-vehicle interaction post-evacuation, which also considers the impact of time pressures on decision making. In addition, a number of software developments and pedestrian behaviours are identified for bridging the behavioural gaps when interfacing an emergency pedestrian model with a traffic simulation.
The International Association of Fire Safety Science (IAFSS) is comprised of members from some 40... more The International Association of Fire Safety Science (IAFSS) is comprised of members from some 40 countries. This paper presents the Association's thinking, developed by the Management Committee, concerning pressing research needs for the coming 10 years presented as the IAFSS Agenda 2030 for a Fire Safe World. The research needs are couched in terms of two broad Societal Grand Challenges: (1) climate change, resiliency and sustainability and (2) population growth, urbanization and globalization. The two Societal Grand Challenges include significant fire safety components, that lead both individually and collectively to the need for a number of fire safety and engineering research activities and actions. The IAFSS has identified a list of areas of research and actions in response to these challenges.
SMARTFIRE, an open architecture integrated CFD code and knowledge based system attempts to make f... more SMARTFIRE, an open architecture integrated CFD code and knowledge based system attempts to make fire field modelling accessible to non-experts in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) such as fire fighters, architects and fire safety engineers. This is achieved by embedding expert knowledge into CFD software. This enables the 'black-art' associated with the CFD analysis such as selection of solvers, relaxation parameters, convergence criteria, time steps, grid and boundary condition specification to be guided by expert advice from the software. The user is however given the option of overriding these decisions, thus retaining ultimate control. SMARTFIRE also makes use of recent developments in CFD technology such as unstructured meshes and group solvers in order to make the CFD analysis more efficient. This paper describes the incorporation within SMARTFIRE of the expert fire modelling knowledge required for automatic problem setup and mesh generation as well as the concept and use of group solvers for automatic and manual dynamic control of the CFD code
Abstract This paper describes a project aimed at making Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)-based ... more Abstract This paper describes a project aimed at making Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)-based fire simulation accessible to members of the fire safety engineering community. Over the past few years, the practice of CFD-based fire simulation has begun the transition from the confines of the research laboratory to the desk of the fire safety engineer. To a certain extent, this move has been driven by the demands of performance based building codes. However, while CFD modeling has many benefits over other forms of fire ...
Forest fires are an annual occurrence in many parts of the world forcing large-scale evacuation. ... more Forest fires are an annual occurrence in many parts of the world forcing large-scale evacuation. The frequent and growing occurrence of these events makes it necessary to develop appropriate evacuation plans for areas that are susceptible to forest fires. The buildingEXODUS evacuation model has been extended to model large-scale urban evacuations by including the road network and open spaces (e.g. parks, green spaces and town squares) along with buildings. The evacuation simulation results have been coupled with the results of a forest fire spread model and applied to the Swinley forest fire which occurred in Berkshire, UK in May 2011. Four evacuation procedures differing in the routes taken by the pedestrians were evaluated providing key evacuation statistics such as time to reach the assembly location, the distance travelled, congestion experienced by the agents and the safety margins associated with using each evacuation route. A key finding of this work is the importance of formulating evacuation procedures that identifies the threatened population, provides timely evacuation notice, identifies appropriate routes that maintains a safe distance from the hazard front thereby maximising safety margins even at the cost of taking longer evacuation routes. Evacuation simulation offers a means of achieving these goals.
Proceedings of the 4t International Symposium on Human Behaviour in Fire, Jul 15, 2009
Within the building evacuation context, wayfinding describes the process in which an individual l... more Within the building evacuation context, wayfinding describes the process in which an individual located within an arbitrarily complex enclosure attempts to find a path which leads them to relative safety, usually the exterior of the enclosure. Within most evacuation modelling tools, wayfinding is completely ignored; agents are either assigned the shortest distance path or use a potential field to find the shortest path to the exits. In this paper a novel wayfinding technique that attempts to represent the manner in which people ...
Based on response time data for library buildings in Turkey, Poland, Czech Republic and UK and di... more Based on response time data for library buildings in Turkey, Poland, Czech Republic and UK and directed towards End-Users such as Design engineers and regulators as a core recommendation or application, it can be stated that the data collected for Turkey, Poland and the Czech Republic is the first of its kind. This data will be of great use to design engineers who have up until this time had to make assumptions for response time data for use in this type of structures. Response time data of any kind, for Turkey and Czech Republic has never been published prior to this work.
The primary focus of this book is to demonstrate results of the international BeSeCu (BeSeCu stan... more The primary focus of this book is to demonstrate results of the international BeSeCu (BeSeCu stands for Behaviour, Security and Culture) project on human responses to emergencies and disasters - a project that followed an interdisciplinary research approach, incorporating disciplines such as the social sciences, health sciences, mathematical and computer sciences. However, this book will also highlight collaboration beyond these disciplines, i.e. the scientific view on human responses is complemented by the perspectives of the fire and medical services since these are important groups of first responders involved in such incidents
Professor Ed Galea CEng, MIFireE provides a welcome to Pedestrian and Evacuation Dynamics 2003, (... more Professor Ed Galea CEng, MIFireE provides a welcome to Pedestrian and Evacuation Dynamics 2003, (PED 2003) to be held in London on 20-22 August 2003.
The aim of the BeSeCu (Behaviour, Security and Culture) project is to investigate cross-cultural ... more The aim of the BeSeCu (Behaviour, Security and Culture) project is to investigate cross-cultural and ethnic differences of human behaviour in crisis situations in order to better tailor security related communication, instructions and procedures with a view to improving evacuation and protection. The project will provide evidence that will be useful to first responders, building designers and those involved in the development of emergency operating procedures for buildings. Project BeSeCu was funded by the EU Seventh Framework Program of security research, BeSeCu (project no. 218324) with a budget of Euro 2.1 million and ran from 2008-2011.
Benjamin's 1929 article, 'Surrealism: The last snapshot of the European Intelligentsia'. Respondi... more Benjamin's 1929 article, 'Surrealism: The last snapshot of the European Intelligentsia'. Responding to Marxist understandings of the 'Surrealism' article, this thesis contributes to a position put forth by Gershom Scholem regarding Benjamin's later writings: that anarchism remains a distinct and alternative path in Benjamin's thought, a path indebted to a youthful engagement with anarchist ideas. Utilising this understanding of anarchism in Benjamin's later writings, it is argued that a positive understanding of anarchism in Benjamin's 'Surrealism' article is discernible, and it exists in the ambiguous subordination of both anarchism and intoxication before that of Benjamin's avowedly Marxist position, as expressed in the idea of profane illumination. It is thus considered how a positive understanding of anarchism and intoxication in Benjamin's 'Surrealism' article is evident not from the perspective of the article's conclusions, but from the ambiguities of these conclusions. These tensions are further emphasised in focusing upon the temporal discontinuities of Benjamin's work and the discordant ordering of his writings. Focusing specifically on Benjamin's childhood remembrances, written after the publication of his 'Surrealism' article, it is to be considered how these remembrances, or "images" grant a positive status for Benjamin's youthful concerns, a point with demonstrable connections to both anarchism and intoxication. These youthful "images" are understood as offering a new trajectory or pathway in readings of Benjamin's 'Surrealism' article, wherein anarchism together with intoxication are presented as an alternative path unbound from their tense subordination beneath Marxism and the profane illumination. In contemplation of this alternative path, concluding remarks engage with the lineaments of a potential "anarchic illumination." And, as with Benjamin's "images" of childhood, these potentialities are to be found in those of Benjamin's earlier writings that profess a sympathetic portrayal of anarchism and intoxication. 32 In a letter to Gershom Scholem of May 29, 1926, Benjamin can still state, even as he pronounces a shift towards Marxism that "I am not ashamed of my "early" anarchism.
FAA/JAA conference in Atlantic City October 2001, to appear in conference proceedings and official FAA/JAA aviation report, Sep 1, 2002
1. ABSTRACT Computer based mathematical models describing the aircraft evacuation process have a ... more 1. ABSTRACT Computer based mathematical models describing the aircraft evacuation process have a vital role to play in the design and development of safer aircraft, the implementation of safer and more rigorous certification criteria, in cabin crew training and post-mortem accident investigation. As the risk of personal injury and the costs involved in performing full-scale certification trials are high, the development and use of these evacuation modelling tools are essential. The airEXODUS evacuation model has been ...
The ability to predict the likely movement and behaviour of people under emergency conditions is ... more The ability to predict the likely movement and behaviour of people under emergency conditions is essential in the design of safer buildings. Professor Ed Galea describes the modelling techniques available.
In response to a development contract from Transport Canada for a simulation program for ship eva... more In response to a development contract from Transport Canada for a simulation program for ship evacuation, BMT Fleet Technology Limited constructed a custom facility to collect human performance data to support evacuation simulation. The Ship Evacuation Behaviour Assessment (SHEBA) facility has been in operation for two years, and has collected timing and behaviour data for personnel moving and performing shipboard activities under difficult circumstances.
During a major evacuation of high capacity buildings, such as a tower block or transportation hub... more During a major evacuation of high capacity buildings, such as a tower block or transportation hub, the emergency services will need to consider the safety of the people within the vicinity of the emergency. However, in general, when assessing the safety of a building for evacuation only the behaviour within the building is considered. One method of assessing this is to utilise a computer based simulation tool. This research outlines a number of developments required to simulate the impact of traffic on the evacuation process in an urban environment in relation to post-exiting behaviour. It uses a unique data set and model capabilities for representing pedestrian-vehicle interaction post-evacuation, which also considers the impact of time pressures on decision making. In addition, a number of software developments and pedestrian behaviours are identified for bridging the behavioural gaps when interfacing an emergency pedestrian model with a traffic simulation.
The International Association of Fire Safety Science (IAFSS) is comprised of members from some 40... more The International Association of Fire Safety Science (IAFSS) is comprised of members from some 40 countries. This paper presents the Association's thinking, developed by the Management Committee, concerning pressing research needs for the coming 10 years presented as the IAFSS Agenda 2030 for a Fire Safe World. The research needs are couched in terms of two broad Societal Grand Challenges: (1) climate change, resiliency and sustainability and (2) population growth, urbanization and globalization. The two Societal Grand Challenges include significant fire safety components, that lead both individually and collectively to the need for a number of fire safety and engineering research activities and actions. The IAFSS has identified a list of areas of research and actions in response to these challenges.
SMARTFIRE, an open architecture integrated CFD code and knowledge based system attempts to make f... more SMARTFIRE, an open architecture integrated CFD code and knowledge based system attempts to make fire field modelling accessible to non-experts in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) such as fire fighters, architects and fire safety engineers. This is achieved by embedding expert knowledge into CFD software. This enables the 'black-art' associated with the CFD analysis such as selection of solvers, relaxation parameters, convergence criteria, time steps, grid and boundary condition specification to be guided by expert advice from the software. The user is however given the option of overriding these decisions, thus retaining ultimate control. SMARTFIRE also makes use of recent developments in CFD technology such as unstructured meshes and group solvers in order to make the CFD analysis more efficient. This paper describes the incorporation within SMARTFIRE of the expert fire modelling knowledge required for automatic problem setup and mesh generation as well as the concept and use of group solvers for automatic and manual dynamic control of the CFD code
Abstract This paper describes a project aimed at making Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)-based ... more Abstract This paper describes a project aimed at making Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)-based fire simulation accessible to members of the fire safety engineering community. Over the past few years, the practice of CFD-based fire simulation has begun the transition from the confines of the research laboratory to the desk of the fire safety engineer. To a certain extent, this move has been driven by the demands of performance based building codes. However, while CFD modeling has many benefits over other forms of fire ...
Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Pedestrian and Evacuation Dynamics , Feb 1, 2020
During a major evacuation of high capacity buildings, such as a tower block or transportation hub... more During a major evacuation of high capacity buildings, such as a tower block or transportation hub, the emergency services will need to consider the safety of the people within the vicinity of the emergency. However, in general, when assessing the safety of a building for evacuation only the behaviour within the building is considered. One method of assessing this is to utilise a computer based simulation tool. This research outlines a number of developments required to simulate the impact of traffic on the evacuation process in an urban environment in relation to post-exiting behaviour. It uses a unique data set and model capabilities for representing pedestrian-vehicle interaction post-evacuation, which also considers the impact of time pressures on decision making. In addition, a number of software developments and pedestrian behaviours are identified for bridging the behavioural gaps when interfacing an emergency pedestrian model with a traffic simulation.
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