Fire Science Unit VIII Research Paper

FIR 4306, Human Behavior in Fire 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VIII Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Select research appropriate for training fire safety educators about human factors. 2. Analyze research appropriate for designing a training program for model behavior in fires at a nursing

home. 3. Evaluate research appropriate for learning about the designing fire drill for a college campus

dormitory. 4. Create a presentation using suitable research material to inform an audience of fire behavior issues.

 

Reading Assignment In order to access the resources below, you must first log into the myCSU Student Portal and access the ABI/Inform Complete database within the CSU Online Library.

Ronchi, E., Reneke, P. A., & Peacock, R. D. (2014, 11). A method for the analysis of behavioural uncertainty

in evacuation modelling. Fire Technology, 50, 1545-1571. Xie, K., Liu, J., Chen, Y., & Chen, Y. (2014). Escape behavior in factory workshop fire emergencies: A multi-

agent simulation. Information Technology and Management, 15(2), 141-149.

Unit Lesson Hannah and Jane are excited to move into their freshman dorm rooms at State University. Like many freshman, they are required to live on campus and have been assigned to one of the older dorms. They have spent their summer planning their décor. When they arrive at their assigned room on the third floor they are a bit dismayed to realize they have very few outlets in the room. They have brought with them a mini refrigerator and microwave. They have computers, phones, and tablets to help with their studies. They have lamps and alarm clocks. And of course, these girls cannot live without their blow dryers, curling irons, flat irons, and hot wax machines. Jane brought a TV, and Hannah brought her brother’s old game system. Although the girls are not big gamers, they hope the video games will attract some of the cute freshman boys from the second floor. The girls did remember to purchase a power strip, but do not want to spend the money to buy any more; instead, they buy a couple of cheap extension cords that do not have built-in breakers. They do not want the ugly power cords to show, so Hannah moves her bed in front of the outlet so that the bed and blankets will cover the cords. What problems do you see with this scenario? As a fire service professional, what responsibilities do you if you fall within State University’s jurisdiction? Research of fire and human behavior topics is an on-going task for fire service program developers, training officers, and fire inspectors. Fire safety educators conduct traditional and non-traditional programs to internal and external customers. Provided basic information about human behaviors or human factors is included in the programs, these presentations are likely to be much more effective and appeal more to the audience. Many fire inspectors prefer to gain compliance rather than depend on enforcement. Gaining compliance requires the customer to willingly comply with the requirements of the local fire department. Fire training officers being charged with the responsibility of delivering training and education must understand the behavior of their students, whether in the classroom or during hands-on training. Classroom behavior can be difficult to analyze. Depending on the audience, the subject, the instructor, and the purpose of the training, the audience may display a variety of behaviors. Conducting live fire training requires the training officer to constantly observe the behaviors of the students, other instructors, and any observers. Although the girls in the above scenario would probably be concerned about safety, discussing peer pressure of others finding out

UNIT VIII STUDY GUIDE

Fire and Human Behavior Research

 

 

 

FIR 4306, Human Behavior in Fire 2

how many electrical gadgets they have plugged into their room, and the loss of the money they spent on their décor if a fire were to break out in their room, might go a long way in deterring these girls from using all of the electronics they have brought with them, or encourage them in purchasing the appropriate surge protectors. Fire investigators are charged with the challenge of determining the cause of fires and sometimes the motive of the fire setter. Determining the cause of the fire may involve interviewing first-arriving fire fighters and fire fighters who battled the fire inside the structure. The fire investigator must analyze the statements of the fire fighters, as well as their behavior, to get an accurate account of the fire fighters experience with the fire. As fire investigators interview suspects and potential witnesses, an understanding of human behavior is a must. Individuals’ statements may be totally opposite of what the body language in expressing. Unlike other residential occupancies, nursing home residents and workers may present a unique set of behavior during a fire incident. Many of the workers may become attached to the residents and may find it difficult to control emotions during a fire incident. Many of the residents may also be attached to the workers and become more dependent on the workers during fire incident. While some residents are ambulatory, many are confined to a bed. Even the ambulatory residents may not be coherent or maintain emotional control during fire incident. College campus dormitories are always a concern for fire incidents. Many colleges and universities now employ resident assistants or a dormitory “manager” to serve as the “watch person” and maintain other duties. The resident assistant is often a college student as well and may lack a maturity level needed to control human behavior during a fire incident. Controlling the behavior also includes monitoring student behaviors and actions to prevent fire incidents. Today’s fire service is benefitting from human behavior research. However, tomorrow’s fire service may be dependent on the research just to accomplish its mission and meet its customer’s needs.

Suggested Reading Bryan, J. L. (1977). Smoke as a determinant of human behavior in fire situations (project people) (Rep. No.

NBS-GCR-77-94). U.S. Department of Commerce National Bureau of Standards. Retrieved from http://www.fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/fire77/PDF/f77008.pdf.

Fahy, R. F., & Proulx, G. (1997). Human behavior in the World Trade Center evacuation. In Y. Hasemi (Ed.),

Fire Safety Science – Proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium (pp. 713-724). Retrieved from http://fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/fire97/PDF/f97061.pdf.

Keating, J. P., & Loftus, E. F. (1977). Vocal alarm systems for high-rise buildings – A case study. Mass

Emergencies, 2, pp. 25-34. Retrieved from http://www.massemergencies.org/v2n1/Keating_v2n1.pdf. Pezoldt, V. J., & Van Cott, H. P. (1978). Arousal from sleep by emergency alarms: Implications from the

Scientific Literature (Rep. No. NBSIR-78-1484 (HEW)). U.S. Department of Commerce National Bureau of Standards. Retrieved from http://www.fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/fire78/PDF/f78005.pdf.

Proulx, G. (2000). Strategies for ensuring appropriate occupant response to fire alarm signals. Construction

Technology Update, (43)1-6.

Learning Activities (Non-Graded) Go back to your resume that you created/updated in Unit I. Is there additional information you can now add to it based on what you have learned during this course. Add the presentation you created at the end of the course to your resume. Make it a goal to actually present the information to a group in your community. Non-graded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information.