ABSTRACT
Large-loss high-rise fires and efforts to accommodate people with disabilities in evacuation planning have renewed interest in high-rise office building fire safety research. This chapter highlights the human behavior implications of large-loss high-rise office building fires and offers lessons from the incidents. The smoke control literature “cutting edge” has shifted from an emphasis on stairwell pressurization, to smoke control on the fire floor. High-rise buildings equipped with smoke detectors experience numerous false alarm activations. Over time, psychological factors tend to lead occupants to ignore the alarms. Elevator evacuation requires a minimum threshold of building technology and human organization. The model building codes do not provide detailed requirements for fire drills or occupant organization in high-rise office buildings. The 1991 Standard Fire Prevention Code requires that an evacuation plan be filed with the Fire Official. New York’s Local Law 5 was passed in 1973, and represents the first detailed ordinance addressing high-rise office building evacuation planning.
