Evaluating probable risk of evacuees in institutional buildings

Fire safety of institutional buildings is examined from the perspective of the risk of evacuees, who would be unable to escape from an unprotected space through the designated exits in the period of time allowed. In this study, the evacuees’ flow rates at an exit and the walking speeds of 44 college students were measured experimentally under normal and emergency walking conditions. A comprehensive survey on the transient occupant loads of 134 classrooms at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University was conducted. The probable risk of evacuees in the institutional buildings was then evaluated for certain exit dimensions with the door carrying capacity, with considerations of the uncertainties of the probable occupant loads and the specific flow rates at the exit. The result would be useful in the risk assessment for safe egress design of institutional buildings.