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Pre-warning delay - staff response in emergencies

Pre-warning delay - staff response in emergencies

Zachary Au, S.Y., Gwynne, Steven M.V. and Purser, David (2011) Pre-warning delay - staff response in emergencies. In: International Scientific and Technical Conference “Emergency Evacuation of People from Buildings” (EMEVAC), 31 Mar - 1 Apr 2011, Warsaw, Poland.

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Abstract

The pre-warning phase refers to the time between the start of an emergency incident and the raising of a general alarm to notify building occupants. This represents a delay in staff response as they interpret the cues available and determine the actions required. In some cases, the delay can be significant. In addition human errors can occur and procedural actions may need to be completed, causing additional delay and potentially complicating the notification process. The pre-warning concept and its theoretical basis were discussed in a previous paper by Gwynne et al (2010). In this paper, the concept is expanded with its application being extended from fires to other emergencies. An attempted is made to identify the general human activities that could be involved in pre-warning and to characterise the associated time delay. Examples of real incidents and drills are presented to illustrate the significance of this concept and the impact pre-warning delay and human errors could have upon the incident outcomes. The need for further research is also highlighted.

Item Type: Conference or Conference Paper (Paper)
Additional Information: [1] This paper was presented at the International Scientific and Technical Conference “Emergency Evacuation of People from Buildings” (EMEVAC) held from 31 March - 1 April 2011 in Warsaw, Poland. The paper was given within the Panel Session, Session A, on 31 March 2011.
Uncontrolled Keywords: pre-warning, staff response, emergency response
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
Pre-2014 Departments: School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences
School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences > Centre for Numerical Modelling & Process Analysis > Fire Safety Engineering Group
Related URLs:
Last Modified: 14 Oct 2016 09:26
URI: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/10804

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