Study of Occupant Behavior During the World Trade Center Evacuation: Preliminary Report of Results

Published

September 10, 1995

Author(s)

R F. Fahy

Abstract

On February 26, 1993, shortly after noon, a bomb exploded in a subterranean garage below the World Trade Center plaza in New York City. The explosions and subsequent fire caused extensive structural damage on several basement levels, interferred with the operation of the fire protection and other emergency systems and resulted in the evacuation of over 100,000 occupants of the complex. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) undertook a research project, funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the General Services Administration, NFPA and NRC, to study the human behavior of building occupants in this incident and to document, to the extent possible, those engineering details such as building design, fire safety features, and smoke spread, that effected behavior. The purpose of this project was to collect and preserve human behavior data. The information gathered will aid in the understanding of what people do in fires and why and how those actions may conform to or differ from the assumptions used in designing and planning for life safety in such a large building. Results will help in work toward the improvement of fire safety in similar occupancies and to enhance the knowledge needed in the development of emergency evacuation models.

Proceedings Title

International Conference on Fire Research and Engineering

Conference Dates

September 10-15, 1995

Pub Type

Conferences

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Keywords

fire research, human factors engineering, evacuation, human behavior, smoke movement, fire alarm systems, bombs (ordnance), explosions, people movement, occupants, terrorists, terrorism, World Trade Center

Citation

Fahy, R. (1995), Study of Occupant Behavior During the World Trade Center Evacuation: Preliminary Report of Results, International Conference on Fire Research and Engineering, -1, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=909237 (Accessed November 21, 2024)