Agent-based optimization of the emergency exits and desks placement in classrooms

Abstract

Even though the average number of structure fires in educational properties have fallen by 67% since 1980, the National Fire Protection Association has still recorded an average of 4980 structure fires (2011–2015), causing annual damages of 1 death, 70 injuries and $70 million in direct property damage. A series of studies have been conducted over the time in order to minimize the loses, with a particular focus on saving humans life. Thus, in order to reduce the evacuation time and the causalities, factors such as: the distance to exit, the density around the exit, room information, the presence of individuals with disabilities, heterogeneous population and obstacles have been considered. In this context, the present paper aims to determine if there is any connection between the structure of the classroom in terms of placing the exits and the desk placement. For this, a simulation is made using heterogeneous agents and a classroom with two exits. As the position of the exits is rather less changeable in real life as it depends directly on the building’s characteristics, the desk placement can be easily modified inside the classroom with effects on the evacuation time.