The effect of occupant characteristics on crawling speed in evacuation

The movement of occupants is a key element in the development of evacuation models, which estimate the required evacuation time to reach an exit. The deterioration of environmental conditions influences occupants to adopt new responses. This study investigates crawling movement as a physical response to environmental conditions during a fire.

The study investigates occupant crawling speed compared with walking speed, and the effect of occupant characteristics; gender and body composition (BMI), on crawling during an evacuation. Eighteen subjects (nine males and nine females) within the 19–29 age stratum participated in the study (normal, overweight, and obese body composition).

The findings indicate a statistical significance between normal walking and crawling speeds. Further, the study statistically demonstrates that both gender and body composition significantly impact individual crawling speed as they are unique individual characteristics. More research is needed to better understand the effect of age group, mobility capabilities, and fatigue on crawling speed.

The study concludes that the development of crawling data and its representation in evacuation models will enhance the accuracy of evacuation models, and better evaluate the safety of evacuees.