Citation

Chen Y, Wang C, Du X, Shen Y, Hu B. Simulat. Model. Pract. Theor. 2023; 128: e102797.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.simpat.2023.102797

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Timely evacuation and rescue in an emergency are significantly important to avoid serious injuries and death in a residential building. Previous studies regarding building emergency plans tended to adopt the data of the average population, while ignoring the elderly people with their sensory impairment, limited mobility, and a great potential for chronic disease, are more vulnerable to emergencies and thus have a high risk of death. Therefore, this study proposes an agent-based simulation framework that integrates the behaviour of both evacuees and rescuers to determine the optimal rescue plan for older adults requiring assistance in emergency evacuation procedures. A case study of a senior residence is provided to demonstrate the applicability of the framework for rescue plan formulation under different evacuation scenarios. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to explore the influence of rescuers' delay time on evacuation and rescue performance and a method comparison is made to verify the effectiveness of the framework proposed in this study for rescue process optimization.

Language: en

Keywords

Agent-based model; Emergency evacuation; Older adult; Rescue plan