Human Behavior and Evacuation Movement in Smoke

INTRODUCTION In order to protect people in buildings during emergencies, it is essential to understand the factors that may influence their responses and behaviors. Research has shown that occupant response and behavior is influenced by factors such as their familiarity with the building, their previous experiences in emergencies, their commitment to any task or situation in which they are engaged, whether they are alone or in a group, their ties to others in the group, their role, and training, as well as individual characteristics such as age and gender (SFPE 2003).