Integrating Human Behavior Factors into Design

Abstract

Like other engineering disciplines, fire protection engineering in building design routinely uses equations, calculations, and computer models to determine if fire protection systems or features will operate to an established set of specifications or crit Like other engineering disciplines, fire protection engineering in building design routinely uses equations, calculations, and computer models to determine if fire protection systems or features will operate to an established set of specifications or crit Like other engineering disciplines, fire protection engineering in building design routinely uses equations, calculations, and computer models to determine if fire protection systems or features will operate to an established set of specifications or criteria. Such engineering analysis and design efforts are typically quantitative and deterministic, and fire protection engineers avail themselves of their education and training in mathematics and physics to accomplish these objective tasks. Conversely, when it comes to human behavior, most building design engineers likely have little or limited background in social and behavioral sciences. With a set of equations and objective criteria that reliably predict human behavior, the fire protection engineer could have no problem in calculating an end result. But the equations and the objective criteria can be difficult to find. In 2003, the Society of Fire Protection Engineers published the SFPE Engineering Guide-Human Behavior in Fire. This document was developed with the significant and extensive input of individuals with backgrounds in psychology, behavioral sciences, and human factors. Significant also is that the SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering 2 contains five chapters related to human behavior and human responses in fire; three of these five chapters were in the first edition of the Handbook, which was published in 1988. While much of this material is calculationoriented, it is important to understand that integrating human behavior into the design process is not simply a matter of engineering calculations with demonstrable outcomes. The introduction to the SFPE Engineering Guide-Human Behavior in Fire acknowledges the importance of human behavior in building fire safety, but notes the limits of the current knowledge base. To address the fire safety of occupants in a building, it is important to understand and consider the factors that may influence the responses and behaviors of people in threatening fires. The anticipation of human behavior and prediction of human responses is one of the most complex areas of fire protection engineering. Because 1