Hantering av utrymningsplatser
(2014) In LUTVDG/TVBB VBRM10 20142Division of Fire Safety Engineering
Risk Management and Safety Engineering (M.Sc.Eng.)
Division of Risk Management and Societal Safety
- Abstract
- Refuge areas are a new element in the evacuation strategy for people with reduced mobility or orientation ability. This report aims to identify the level of risk to users of refuge areas by examining the current management of refuge areas in Sweden. The objective was to present measures or strategies that can reduce the level of risk to users of refuge areas. This report is based on interviews conducted with staff in organizations operating in buildings provided with refuge areas and with personnel in emergency services. The interviews shows that there is a lack of knowledge and experience regarding refuge areas amongst the operational department within the emergency services. The result also show that there is ambiguity regarding which... (More)
- Refuge areas are a new element in the evacuation strategy for people with reduced mobility or orientation ability. This report aims to identify the level of risk to users of refuge areas by examining the current management of refuge areas in Sweden. The objective was to present measures or strategies that can reduce the level of risk to users of refuge areas. This report is based on interviews conducted with staff in organizations operating in buildings provided with refuge areas and with personnel in emergency services. The interviews shows that there is a lack of knowledge and experience regarding refuge areas amongst the operational department within the emergency services. The result also show that there is ambiguity regarding which organization that is responsible for managing the refuge areas and the assisted evacuation from the refuge area. Measures are suggested in order to eliminate the unnecessary risks that users of refuge areas are subjected to during an evacuation. (Less)
- Popular Abstract
- Management of Refuge Areas - What is the level of risk to individuals using refuge areas?
Per Boström, Mattias Spelmans and Daniel Nilsson Department of Fire Safety Engineering and Systems Safety, Lund University, Sweden
In Sweden, refuge areas are a new component in the evacuation strategy for people with reduced mobility. A refuge area is a safe location where these individuals can wait for assistance in case of evacuation. The Swedish legislation requires that refuge areas are provided with two-way communication [1]. However, unlike the legislation in the UK [2] and the United States [3], a voice communication system is not required. This leads to large variations to the designs of the two-way communication system, which may result in... (More) - Management of Refuge Areas - What is the level of risk to individuals using refuge areas?
Per Boström, Mattias Spelmans and Daniel Nilsson Department of Fire Safety Engineering and Systems Safety, Lund University, Sweden
In Sweden, refuge areas are a new component in the evacuation strategy for people with reduced mobility. A refuge area is a safe location where these individuals can wait for assistance in case of evacuation. The Swedish legislation requires that refuge areas are provided with two-way communication [1]. However, unlike the legislation in the UK [2] and the United States [3], a voice communication system is not required. This leads to large variations to the designs of the two-way communication system, which may result in difficulties for the organization responsible for the safety of individuals using the refuge area.
The Swedish legislations does not specify who is responsible for the individuals using refuge areas. This makes it unclear who is responsible for the management of refuge areas, including the assisted evacuation and the use of the two-way communication system. A recent study shows that users of refuge areas would not wait comfortably in a refuge area more than 10 minutes without assistance [4]. Leaving the refuge area is associated with risks such as exposure to toxic gases from the fire and fall related injuries. Proper management of the assisted evacuation of refuge areas and the two-way communication is therefore essential for reducing the risk to individuals using refuge areas.
This study is based on qualitative interviews with safety personnel in public buildings and with personnel in rescue services. A total of 21 participants in three different occupational categories, namely crew commander, watch commander and fire protection engineer, were interviewed within five examined rescue services. Eight organizations, namely arenas, universities and museums, from three different regions in Sweden also participated in the study.
The purpose of the interviews was to review the level of knowledge and preparedness of rescue services and other organizations regarding refuge areas. Furthermore, possible configurations of the two-way communication system for refuge areas and their ability to facilitate the management of refuge areas were investigated. Based on the results of the study, measures and strategies for reducing the level of risk to users of refuge areas were proposed.
The study shows that there are major deficiencies in the management of refuge areas in Sweden today. Users of refuge areas may therefore be exposed to unnecessary risks, which in the end may lead to unsafe evacuation. The intention of this paper is to
1) Describe difficulties associated with refuge areas, 2) Present the current level of knowledge and preparedness for managing refuge areas in Sweden, 3) Evaluate possible configurations of the two-way communication system and 4) Propose measurements and strategies for reducing the level of risk to users of refuge areas.
References
1. Boverket. (2014). Boverkets föreskrifter om ändring i verkets byggregler (2011:6) – föreskrifter och allmänna råd; BFS 2014:3 BBR 21. Boverket, Karlskrona
2. Communities and Local Governments. (2007). Approved Document B Volume 2 – Buildings and other than dwellinghouses. Department of Communities and Local Governments, London.
3. IBC. (2012). International Building Code 2012 (Second Printing). International Code Council, Lenexa.
4. McConnel, N.C. & Boyce, K.E. (2013). Refuge areas and vertical evacuation of multistory buildings: the end users’ perspective. Fire and Materials. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/5148986
- author
- Boström, Per LU and Spelmans, Mattias LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- VBRM10 20142
- year
- 2014
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Ansvarsfördelning, Tvåvägskommunikation, Risknivå, Utrymningsplats, Assisterad utrymning
- publication/series
- LUTVDG/TVBB
- report number
- 5479
- ISSN
- 1402-3504
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 5148986
- date added to LUP
- 2015-03-06 14:41:55
- date last changed
- 2020-12-03 14:26:10
@misc{5148986,
abstract = {{Refuge areas are a new element in the evacuation strategy for people with reduced mobility or orientation ability. This report aims to identify the level of risk to users of refuge areas by examining the current management of refuge areas in Sweden. The objective was to present measures or strategies that can reduce the level of risk to users of refuge areas. This report is based on interviews conducted with staff in organizations operating in buildings provided with refuge areas and with personnel in emergency services. The interviews shows that there is a lack of knowledge and experience regarding refuge areas amongst the operational department within the emergency services. The result also show that there is ambiguity regarding which organization that is responsible for managing the refuge areas and the assisted evacuation from the refuge area. Measures are suggested in order to eliminate the unnecessary risks that users of refuge areas are subjected to during an evacuation.}},
author = {{Boström, Per and Spelmans, Mattias}},
issn = {{1402-3504}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
series = {{LUTVDG/TVBB}},
title = {{Hantering av utrymningsplatser}},
year = {{2014}},
}