Human response to emergency communication: a review of guidance on alerts and warning messages for emergencies in buildings

From National Research Council Canada

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DOIResolve DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-017-0653-3
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Name affiliation
  1. National Research Council of Canada. Construction
FormatText, Article
Journal titleFire Technology
ISSN0015-2684
1572-8099
Pages# of pages: 28
Subjectemergency communication; alerts; warnings; guidance; human response; occupant evacuation; occupant response; emergency notification; emergency messaging; mass notification
Abstract
The purpose of this article is to provide guidance on enhancing human response to emergency communication. This guidance can, in turn, help engineers improve the design of emergency notification and messaging systems, which, as a result, can help inform occupant response, reduce occupant evacuation time, and increase occupant safety. The article begins with a literature review on how people respond to emergencies. The Protective Action Decision Model, which describes the decision-making process that precedes human response in disaster events, is used as a framework for the literature collected as part of this review. This model is divided into three pre-decisional and five decisional processes. The method used to create the guidance document is then explained, including the six steps taken to review the literature collected (from 162 engineering and social science sources), generate findings from this literature, and compile the key statements found in the guidance document. Guidance on alerts, visual/audible warnings and dissemination of warning messages are provided. These are organized according to alert/warning type and dissemination method. The findings of the literature review include five guidance statements on alerts, 16 guidance statements on visual warnings, seven guidance statements on audible warnings and eight guidance statements on the dissemination of warning messages. Finally, guidance on emergency message testing, including language, readability and fire drills as a means of response testing, is provided. It is envisioned that this guidance will inform practitioners on the design of future emergency communications and subsequently enhances evacuee performance through a better understanding of the manner in which emergency information is processed and the tools available to provide such information.
Publication date
PublisherSpringer
LanguageEnglish
Peer reviewedYes
NPARC number23001814
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Record identifier6907d282-823c-41e3-908a-95c29adc7f05
Record created2017-04-10
Record modified2020-06-04
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