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SUMMARY Signage systems play an important role in aiding occupants during both circulation and evacuation. Despite the fact that signage systems are an important component in building wayfinding systems, there is a lack of relevant data regarding how occupants perceive, interpret and use the information conveyed by emergency signage. The effectiveness of signage systems is therefore difficult to assess. In this paper, we address this issue through experimentation. The experiment involved measuring the impact of a signage system on a population of 68 test subjects who were instructed to individually vacate a building as quickly as possible via any means they thought appropriate. The evacuation path involved a number of decision points at which emergency signage was available to identify the appropriate path. Through analysis of video footage and data derived from questionnaires, the number of people who saw and utilised the signage information to assist their egress is determined. The experimental results are used to enhance the existing signage model within the buildingEXODUS software. In particular, the signage detection and acceptance probabilities are assigned values based on the experimental data rather than the ideal values previously used in the model. The impact that the enhanced signage model has on evacuation analysis is demonstrated in a hypothetical evacuation scenario. The enhanced signage model is shown to produce a more conservative lower estimate of expected egress times. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Occupant interaction with signage systems is being introduced into evacuation simulations through the newly developed concept of the Visibility Catchment Area or VCA. In this article, we describe the concept of VCA and how it has been extended to incorporate the presence of physical obstructions and termination distance. The VCA concept is then linked to a prototype behavior model intended to represent the occupant’s interaction with the signage system. The functionality and performance of the newly developed model is then demonstrated through the simulation of various evacuation scenarios within a hypothetical supermarket layout.

In this paper, coupled fire and evacuation simulation tools are used to simulate the Station Nightclub fire. This study differs from the analysis conducted by NIST in three key areas; (1) an enhanced flame spread model and (2) a toxicity generation model are used, (3) the evacuation is coupled to the fire simulation. Predicted early burning locations in the full-scale fire simulation are in line with photographic evidence and the predicted onset of flashover is similar to that produced by NIST. However, it is suggested that both predictions of the flashover time are approximately 15 sec earlier than actually occurred. Three evacuation scenarios are then considered, two of which are coupled with the fire simulation. The coupled fire and evacuation simulation suggests that 180 fatalities result from a building population of 460. With a 15 sec delay in the fire timeline, the evacuation simulation produces 84 fatalities which are in good agreement with actual number of fatalities. An important observation resulting from this work is that traditional fire engineering ASET/RSET calculations which do not couple the fire and evacuation simulations have the potential to be considerably over optimistic in terms of the level of safety achieved by building designs.

Computer based analysis of evacuation can be performed using one of three di4erent approaches, namely optimization, simulation and risk assessment. Furthermore, within each approach di4erent means of representing the enclosure, the population and the behaviour of the population are possible. The myriad of approaches that are available has led to the development of some 22 di4erent evacuation models. This review attempts to describe each of the modelling approaches adopted and critically review the inherent capabilities of each approach. The review is based on available published literature.People}people interactions, i.e. interactions with other occupants. People}structure interactions, i.e. interactions with the enclosing structure. People}environment interactions, i.e. interactions with the "re e!ected atmosphere, and possible debris.These interactions a!ect an occupant's behaviour, and therefore trigger the decision making process. This EVACUATION MODELLING REVIEW 385

Signage systems are widely used in the built environment to aid occupant wayfinding during both circulation and evacuation. Recent research conducted by the authors shows that only 38% of people 'see' conventional static emergency signage in presumed emergency situations in an unfamiliar built environment, even if the sign is located directly in front of them and their vision is unobstructed. However, most people who see the sign follow the sign. These results suggest that current emergency guidance signs are less effective as an aid to wayfinding than they potentially can be and that signs are likely to become more effective if their detectability can be improved while upholding the comprehensibility of the guidance information they provide. A novel dynamic signage design is proposed to address this issue. The effectiveness of the new sign is tested under almost identical experimental settings and conditions as in the previous experiments examining conventional, static signs. The results show that 77% of people 'see' the dynamic sign and 100% of them go on to follow the sign. In addition, a dynamic method to identify that an exit route is no longer viable is tested using an international survey to gauge understanding of the new signage concept. Survey results suggest that the purpose of the new sign can be clearly understood by over 90% of the sample.

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