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THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MARINE EVACUATION MODEL.
 

The ability to empty heavily populated enclosures such as ships, buildings, aircraft, etc, safely and quickly is an essential design feature in the event of emergency situations.

The layout of the ship or off-shore facility and the nature of the likely occupant population mix are essential ingredients in the search for optimal configurations and procedures.  Considerations such as, number and location of exits, travel distances, function of compartments, presence of internal obstructions and compartments, location of assembly/muster stations, number type and location of life saving equipment,  number of elderly and disabled occupants, nature of occupants disability, occupants knowledge of enclosure layout etc all must be taken into account. Mathematical evacuation models such as EXODUS attempt to incorporate these factors into their predictions.

maritimeEXODUS is an egress model - currently under development by the FSEG - which is designed to simulate the evacuation of large numbers of individuals from ships and off-shore installations.  The model tracks the trajectory of each individual as they make their way to a muster/assembly station and then proceed to abandon the ship.  The software is also capable of simulating the interaction of individuals with fire products such as heat, smoke and toxic gases. The software is rule based, the progressive motion and behaviour of each individual being determined by a set of heuristics or rules.

In support of the development of  maritimeEXODUS, another project is underway where detailed human performance data in heel conditions is being collected.

For more information about EXODUS visit the EXODUS Web Pages.  For a complete listing of EXODUS publications visit the FSEG Publications pages.

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