Human behaviour in fire: the development and maturity of a scholarly study area

This article presents a selected literature review of the critical studies with an analysis of the development of the study area concerned with the behaviour of the occupants during a fire occurrence. Although, the primary emphasis is on the developments in this study area within the United States from the early 1900s until 1998, the literature cited is of world wide origin. The influence of the performance code concept on the human behaviour in fire research with the resulting emphasis on the evacuation models is examined. Cautions are expressed relative to the design, validation and application of the evacuation models. Concerns are expressed relative to the application of the evacuation models to the simulation of the documented behaviour of occupants in fire incidents. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.