Crowd Safety
Evacuation, Escape and Rescue Analysis (EERA) is part of Formal Safety Assessment (FSA). A key component in safety management is preparedness and anticipation for any untoward situation or circumstance. Emergency response planning (ERP) addresses the level of preparedness and anticipation in light of possible emergency scenarios.
For example in applying it to rail stations we explored the various emergency scenarios and established the required actions.
We also developed a personnel evacuation modelling method to assess egress of people from facilities. Simulation of Personnel Evacuation from Complex Spaces (SPECS) models the evacuation of people in emergency scenarios. A wide range of human and physical factors are included in the technique, which estimates the number of potential casualties for each scenario examined. The importance and sensitivity of the various factors can be tested and mitigation measures selected on the basis of benefit and relative cost.