FIRE ALARMS AND
HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
WRIGHTSTYLE IS AN INTERNATIONAL GLASS AND STEEL
GLAZING COMPANY. JANE EMBURY, THE COMPANY’S
MARKETING DIRECTOR, LOOKS AT HUMAN BEHAVIOR
WHEN A FIRE ALARM SOUNDS.
We’re sometimes asked why our advanced glazing systems are
designed to give protection against fire and toxic gases for up to
120 minutes.
The answer, of course, is that large or complex buildings such as
hospitals or tall office blocks can take a long time to evacuate and,
then, protected access is needed for fire crews to extinguish the
fire.
But it’s not quite as simple as that, because human beings aren’t
predictable. For example, a major UK retailer took part recently in
a series of unannounced fire test evacuations.
Interestingly, and contrary to their training, staff didn’t always
immediately start to move customers towards the exits. The
majority first sought confirmation that it was a real fire alarm,
which therefore delayed the evacuation.