• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.7-15
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• 2023

Purpose: This study was conducted with the aim of presenting spatial planning directions for evacuation spaces based on an analysis of the performance of horizontal evacuation during the early stages of fire incidents in a geriatric hospital. Methods: Based on a review of previous studies, the research model was designed by establishing occupancy conditions, evacuation, and fire scenarios. The analysis model was developed by considering vulnerable areas in terms of evacuation movement and analyzing the results of evacuation performance. Furthermore, the study analyzed the improvement in evacuation performance by arranging refuge areas. Results: The results of the study are as follows. Firstly, vulnerability spots were identified in terms of evacuation performance by schematizing Required Safe Egress Time, Available Safe Egress Time, and their differences. Secondly, the Required Safe Egress Time in the adjacent public spaces along the escape routes of occupants was found to be higher compared to the Available Safe Egress Time. Thirdly, the results of the correlation analysis between the difference in Available Safe Egress Time and Required Safe Egress Time during the early stages of a fire, as well as their constituent factors, demonstrated that user congestion is a more significant factor in compromising evacuation safety than the physical changes in the fire condition. Fourthly, the analysis of evacuation time was conducted by designating refuge areas where occupants can evacuate within a sufficient timeframe. This led to a decrease in the Required Safe Egress Time. Implications: This study is expected to be used as data on the direction of evacuation space planning to improve the evacuation performance of Geriatric Hospital.

• International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.255-266
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• 2024

The purpose is to evaluate evacuation safety by simulating the toxic effects of hydrogen fluoride leaks in areas surrounding national industrial complexes and to suggest alternatives for areas that do not satisfy evacuation safety. For human casualties caused by hydrogen fluoride leakage accidents, Available Safe Egress Time (ASET) is calculated by the toxic effects quantified with the Areal Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres (ALOHA), an off-site consequence assessment program. The Required Safe Egress Time (RSET) is calculated through Pathfinder, an evacuation simulation program. Evacuation safety is assessed by comparing ASET and RSET. The ALOHA program was used to evaluate the time to reach AEGL-2 concentration in 12 scenarios. The Pathfinder program was used to assess the total evacuation time of the high school among specific fire-fighting objects. Of the 12 accident scenarios, ASET was larger than RSET in the worst-case scenarios 1 and 9. For the remaining 10 accident scenarios, the ASET is smaller than the RSET, so we found that evacuation safety is not guaranteed, and countermeasures are required. Since evacuation safety is not satisfactory, we proposed to set up an evacuation area equipped with positive pressure equipment and air respirators inside specific fire-fighting objects such as the high school.

• International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.247-254
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• 2024

In this paper, we compare and analyze the evacuation time required at a general hospital using an evacuation simulation program and propose an optimized procedure to improve safety. The paper analyzed the evacuation time of all occupants, including patients who cannot evacuate by themselves. The following four cases were analyzed in order: the width of evacuation stairs is 120cm, 130cm, 140cm, and 150cm. The results of the evacuation simulation showed that the total evacuation time is 1998s, 1796s, 1651s, and 1161s, respectively. For every 10cm increase in the width of the evacuation stairs, the evacuation time decreases by 202s, 145s, and 91s in sequence. The evacuation time decreases as the width of the evacuation stairs increases. However, the rate of reduction in evacuation time decreases. Therefore, simply increasing the width of evacuation stairs cannot significantly improve evacuation efficiency, and it is necessary to choose an appropriate width of evacuation stairs. In addition, all four cases simulations display that after 600 seconds, the evacuees are concentrated in two evacuation stairs, while there are very few evacuees in the other stairs. To solve this problem, it is necessary to disperse the movement route and consider multiple avoidance methods.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.509-515
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• 2021

This study analyzes the efficient floor layout plan of classrooms for securing evacuation stability in school in case of fire by using the Pathfinder simulation program. Efficient evacuation methods and safety were evaluated by analyzing REST (Required Safe Egress Time) according to the allocation of personnel by floor targeting a high school 5-story building equipped with a ramp and stairs. The current status of personnel assignments exceeded the Required Safe Egress Time(RSET), resulting in a problem with evacuation safety. When students were placed on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors, the result was that the time exceeded RSET the most. When students were placed on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors, the result was that they completed evacuation in the shortest time, less than RSET. In the current state, when evacuation was guided by designating an evacuation exit depending on the location, the result of shortening RSET was obtained. As a result, it is effective to put the students on the lower floors when placing students in high-rise school buildings in terms of evacuation safety, and in the preliminary training, it is required to designate evacuation exits so that they can use the nearest exit for each location in case of a fire. As a future research project, additional research is needed on the RSET when a fire occurs in a specific location according to whether the automatic fire door at that location is opened or closed.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.95-104
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to propose measures to increase evacuation safety by calculating the habitable time using a fire and evacuation simulation program for the Room-escape cafe currently in operation, and comparing and analyzing it with the evacuation required time. Assuming a fire due to overheating of electric heaters in use in front of the warehouse, the habitable time was calculated through fire simulation, and the occupant's evacuation time calculated through evacuation simulation according installation of safety facilities, etc. was compared and analyzed with the habitable time. In the case of escape room cafes with safety facilities installed, evacuation safety was satisfied, but in escape room cafes without safety facilities, the evacuation safety was not secure. As a result of analyzing evacuation safety for each scenario based on the ASET analyzed in the fire simulation, it was found that in scenario 1, evacuation safety was secured and everyone successfully evacuated, while in scenario 2, no one succeeded in evacuation. These results can be said to confirm that the installation of safety facilities is very important in business establishments such as escape room cafes, which become enclosed structures when games are started.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.13-20
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• 2015

As building height is increased, more careful decisions about the required safe egress time is needed for evacuation. This study analyzed the influence of three training sessions on the vertical speed of evacuation in the high rise building. Evacuation experiments were done in a high-rise office building in Seoul, and we analyzed the vertical evacuation speed as a function of density using a camera. Controlled and uncontrolled total evacuation were compared using the Pathfinder simulation. The process of repeated training, changed the specific stair utilization rate from 6.3% to 39.5%. The vertical evacuation speed as a function of density was analyzed using the equation s = 1.004 ? 0.288D, which is very similar to the equation used in a different study. The total evacuation time of the special controlled total evacuation was reduced by about 25% compared to the simultaneous evacuation.

• 한국태양에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.04a
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• pp.133-138
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to present an alternative plan in order to reduce the required time to flee from the inside of the gosiwon in danger. The data were derived from changing the width of corridors and emergency exits and the number of stairs in the building EXODUS, which is computer simulation program, The analyzed conclusions from the data are following as below (1) Increasing the exits and the number of stairs are efficient to reduce the accumulated time for standing by. (2) Increasing the number of stairs is efficient to decrease the distance to get out of the building to exit. (3) Increasing the number of stairs is efficient to reduce the time to get out of the building to exit.

• International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.182-192
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• 2022

This study analyzed the effects of the all-in-one automatic fire shutter (hereinafter referred to as "all-in-one shutter") installed along the fire compartment in a five-story high school building on the evacuation time by using the Pathfinder simulation program. When the all-in-one shutter was added as a new variable, the evacuation time was delayed, indicating insufficient evacuation safety. The evacuation time exceeded the appropriate standard when the evacuation exit was designated to the students in the present state of being placed on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors and the all-in-one shutter was activated. When students were placed on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors under the same conditions, the evacuation time was also greatly exceeded. However, when the width of the entrance was set to 130cm, the evacuation time was almost the same as when the all-in-one shutter was not installed. In high-rise school buildings, the bottleneck caused by all-in-one shutters is becoming a major factor in evacuation barriers. To ensure the evacuation safety of school buildings, it has been judged that evacuation education and training to predict the evacuation time required through the all-in-one shutter entrance and induce an evacuation procedure suitable for the standard evacuation time should be carried out in parallel. The implications of this study and suggestions for effective fire compartments and follow-up studies were discussed.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.227-240
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• 2022

Under the Korean Enforcement Decree of the Building Act, all high story apartment houses more than 5 stories high are mandated to install a fire evacuation system to ensure safe evacuation from fire accidents and providing quick and easy bidirectional escape route when main entrance is blocked by flame or toxic smoke. However, the current fire evacuation system shows a lack of understanding from residents and thus is widely ignored for having insufficient safety functions, especially vis-à-vis fire emergencies. Studies have found that an alternative evacuation method, the escapable fire evacuation system, has been analyzed for safety evaluation compared with the conventional passive fire escape system and can bring efficient and safer solutions, providing high rise residents escape from fire accidents. Evaluation for safety evacuation has been performed by the Fire Dynamics Simulation and applying Pathfinder simulation. This resulted in providing appropriate escape routes within the safety escape time and allowed for people in high rise building fires to get to safety.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.363-373
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• 2018

Evacuation facilities are installed so that people can evacuate high-rise apartment houses when it is impossible to escape fire through the front door. The households of apartment houses may escape the building in two ways, which will reduce loss of lives. This study examined the characteristics of two-way evacuation facilities, including a light-weight partition wall, shelter space at the balcony and horizontally-installed indoor emergency exit. Then, it proposed a horizontally-installed outdoor emergency exit that improved the problems of the examined facility types, and analyzed its economic-feasibility. When a horizontally-installed emergency exit instead of a traditional type to escape from fire is used, people may be more autonomous in deciding whether active evacuation is possible or not. Thus, the time required to evacuate the building with 4 different evacuation methods using the stairs and horizontally-installed emergency exit was simulated in consideration of the impact of evacuation methods that people choose on the time required for evacuation using pathfinder. Then, the simulation results were compared and analyzed. Any appropriate evacuation method to reduce the time required for evacuation was predicted, analyzed and decided. As a result of this study, it was analyzed that the high - rise apartment top - down type evacuation zone can shorten the total evacuation time compared to the staircase type.