Emergency evacuation patterns for high-rise buildings

The increasing day-to-day incidents of a machine-made disaster such as fires in buildings, collapsing due to constructions or terrorist attacks have led to taking authentic action related to evacuation of High rise buildings. Today we have to think about Emergency Evacuation Patterns for High-Rise Building. The National Building Code of India, buildings with a height of 15 meters or more are as high rise buildings.

In high rise buildings, it is important to consider the evacuation pattern during construction. Different countries have established exit requirements in their legislation. There are provisions for building evacuation in most emergency situations, such as fires. In India, cities like Ahmadabad, Surat, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi, Kolkata etc witness more than 5000 high-rise buildings.

Evacuation Strategies for High-Rise Building

It is the paramount responsibility of every property manager to prepare an emergency escape plan for a high-rise building. Whether there are 100 or 100 occupants, the life of every one person is important. In any emergency, many evacuation strategies have been implied. The listed strategies below can determine which High Rise Evacuation Plan to use.

Shield in Place

The National Fire Protection Association had put a handbook regarding Fire Protection guidelines, as per survey and experience “It is safer for occupants to remain in place within protected zones than to evacuate the building”. This method is used when there is a chemical or biological incident or explosion that has occurred outside the building.

Delay in Evacuation

The delay in evacuation usually occurs when there is more storey in a building and the incident is worse. As defined in the handbook “it is better to take temporary holding places instead of trying to exit. Stay safe near the fire area or take a guide from the emergency responder’s assistance to stay safe.

Evacuation for disabled people individuals

Special considerations are taken for the individuals who have temporary or permanent disabilities. It includes the person on a wheelchair, canes or crutches, walkers, a person with hearing and visibility impairment, pregnant lady, older people, child, mental disorders or person with recent surgery. A list of important information such as name, location and building with the type of disability should be on record with the management to facilitate them while making High-Rise evacuation plan.

Partial or Zoned Evacuation

Staged evacuation is another name for this procedure. It is important to include this evacuation in the emergency evacuation plan since it consists of the area closest to the incident.

For example, in the event of a fire in a high-rise building, a partial evacuation may involve evacuating only the floors where the fire is located, while residents on other floors remain in their units. This allows emergency responders to focus their efforts on the affected area and reduces the risk of overcrowding and confusion during the evacuation.

It is necessary to develop and implement partial or zoned evacuation plans as part of a comprehensive emergency preparedness plan, which should take into account factors such as the size and layout of the building or area, the nature of the emergency, and the needs of different groups of individuals, including individuals with disabilities and the old age.

READ: Understanding the Fire Safety Norms for High-Rise Buildings in India

Total evacuation

Known as phased evacuation. The evacuation of High-Rise building often has less accommodation of elevators or staircases to exit a large number of people. This approach involves evacuating everyone from the affected area, rather than just specific zones or areas. A total evacuation requires that all residents of the affected area evacuate immediately and follow the established evacuation routes and procedures. Emergency responders and officials may provide assistance and guidance during the evacuation process.

Self-Evacuation

Occupants have to make their own evacuation arrangements to protect themselves before emergency responders arrive on site. They cannot use the stairs or lift in emergency time. It is critical that self-evacuation plans for residual survivors be incorporated into high-rise buildings evacuation plans. It is important to know the residuals in advance in order to make arrangements for their evacuation..

Conclusion

The evacuation plans for high-rise buildings are adequate, but there is a lack of communication between fire safety personnel, which results in more than 20,000 deaths each year. According to the survey, phased evacuation has been the most used and appropriate method. NFPA and ASTM have recognized some of the escape devices e.g. fire escape chute, as a supplement evacuation plan. An evacuation like this might be more effective than using stairs

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