Tag Archives: building evacuation

12 years on from 9/11

Twelve years after the collapse of the WTC towers, the far-reaching impact of the attacks is still being felt when it comes to the design of new high-rise buildings across the world. FSEG research is still on-going and the data we have collected, both on the mechanics of large-scale evacuation, and on the human behaviour issues, is being shared across the world, as a valuable international resource. Continue reading

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Kiss Nightclub Tragedy — More Information and some Simplified Analysis

Questions are being raised as to how many people were in the nightclub at the time of the incident. This will become an important issue as the inquiry into the disaster progresses as the level of club occupancy could be used as a factor in contributing to the severity of the disaster and hence in apportioning responsibility.

Another issue that has been raised is whether or not more exits would have made a material difference to the outcome. Given that the nightclub had only a third of the required number of exits, one has to wonder whether this would have made a material difference to the outcome.

To examine these issues I have done some simple analysis based on a number of assumptions and what the media are currently reporting.
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Yet another Nightclub Tragedy — Grief tainted with Anger

The death toll in the Kiss Nightclub fire has risen to 231. It is heart breaking to see so many young faces with promising lives ahead of them snuffed out in seconds. It is even more heartbreaking to learn that this tragic loss of life may have been needless and preventable. As more details of this tragedy begin to emerge, heartbreak turns to anger. While the details are still not known for certain, the more that comes out in the media the more this carnage appears to be no simple accident i.e. an unforeseeable event, but the result of a predictable and preventable failing of Regulation, Enforcement and Management. If so, then immediate measures must be taken to correct the failings in order to ensure a safer Brazil – let this be the legacy of the Kiss victims. Continue reading

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FSEG at the “Human Behaviour in Fire” 2012 Conference

FSEG will be at the Human Behaviour in Fire conference next week (19-21 Sept 2012) in Cambridge UK and will be presenting 7 papers. Continue reading

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