# Presentation: 314955

## VERRESVLTA Emergency Requirement Research Evaluation Study Building a Mental Representation (Situation Awareness) of the aircraft for Passengers

**The Fourth Triennial International Aircraft Fire and Cabin Safety Research Conference**
**Lisbon Conference Centre Portugal 15-18 November 2004**

## Agenda

** ****VERRES project introduction**
** ****Approach of the study**
** ****Theoretical aspects**
** ****Limitation of present a/c passengers briefing **
** ****Recommendations shaped like a boarding ****	****	****scenario**
** ****Expected effects on Passenger Mental ****	****	****	****Representation of the flight**

## VERRES Context

**Notes:**
VERRES: European Commission/DG TREN funded project to examine some of the evacuation issues relevant to evacuation from next generation of Very Large Transport Aircraft (VLTA). 

The final results will be used as a working support for JAA.

## VERRES project

- WP3: Aspects of occupants safety for VLTA concepts

**Notes:**
Work organization in the VERRES project :

 Wp1 and WP2 : state of the art concerning:
	- the configurational aspects for VLTA and
	- Investigating the requirements of a methodology utilising analysis and partial testing

Among the work done in the WP3 “Aspects of occupants safety for VLTA concepts”, an experiment was carried out by the VERRES Consortium and several analysis were conducted within the Consortium on the data collected during the experiment.
	- This presentation deals solely with one of these analyses, the Sofreavia analysis of the experimental data. 
	- The Sofreavia team in the VERRES project is composed of 3 persons : Mr Eric Andlauer, Mr Ludovic Moulin and myself

The next steps of the project are the Wp4 (Synthesis of all the VERRES results) and then Wp5 (Dissemination of the final results).
At the moment, the WP3 and WP4 are under finalisation process.

## Objective and Approach of the Study

** ****Objective : identification of the main issues in ****	****	****order to guide future VLTA research or design**
*** *****Approach:**
**Bibliographical research (state of the art)**
-  Theoretical aspect
-  Cognitive psychology
-  Sociological field
-  Ethology
-  Past research review
*** *****Make***** *****recommendations**

**Notes:**
Various scenarios according to exit availability.
	In  each experimental session, the CCs known the exits that were available only 10 seconds after the evacuation order.

Double deck mock-up => link slide n°31. 

## Theoretical Appraisal (1/2)

** ****The information nature and quality are key factors in the Situation Awareness building**
** ****The SA is built on the basis of acquired knowledge determining the importance given to some information in the present context (prejudice, belief, etc.)**
** ****The SA is threatened by social factors as:**
**lack of group cohesion, **
**lack of leadership **
**lack of common experiences**
** ****In emergency conditions, recent acquired knowledge disappears in aid of familiar knowledge (e.g. the route to exit the plane)**

**Notes:**
In the following presentation :
The first case study that will be presented today is in the « Free Choice » condition.
The second case study is in the Going Up with Stair Crew condition.
And the third case study is in the Going Up without Stair Crew condition. 

## Theoretical Appraisal (2/2)

** ****Emotion can forbid the access to SA during a given ****	****period of time**
** ****Alert phase management is fundamental to build a ****	****clear and reassuring SA**
** ****The group affiliation feeling has a reinsuring effect on ****	****validity of information and reinforces SA**
** ****The highly structured rituals setting during pre-flight ****	****and boarding phases favours **
** ****the spatial references**
** ****the time based references of the affiliation to the group, **
** ****allow the improvement of**** ****the emotional factors management**

## Past researches review key outputs (1/2)

** ****A lot of passengers continue to pay very few attention to safety briefings (written and oral ones)**
** ****Every***** *****moment of attention capacity should be identified to use them properly. An additional safety briefing just before boarding or descent could be an alternative, especially on long haul flights**
** ****Passengers do not feel concerned by the safety information either because**** :**
**they overestimate their knowledge of safety aspect, **
**they underestimate their chances of survival, **
**they see Cabin Crews as the only safety actors possible during an evacuation (it does not worth listening to them),**
**they do not see the demonstration.**

**Notes:**
The Analysis carried out by Sofréavia in the framework of the VERRES experiment is in line with the French cognitive psychology approach. 
This approach is human behaviour oriented and  focuses on the operators work : the Cabin crew ’s work as evacuation manager.

## Past researches review key outputs (2/2)

** ****A lot of recommendations have been already listed. They could be adapted taking into account the VLTA environment demands**
** ****New information means (video, interactive media...) can improve the attractiveness and the attention capture potential of the safety instructions**
** ****Despite safety instructions, passengers still intent to evacuate with their luggage and some personal effects. **

## Recommendations shaped like a boarding scenario

-  First Scene context : Cabin characteristics
- VLTA cabin divided in several zones
- Each zone corresponds to a safety gate
- To each zone correspond a colour or a sign (on the seat, on the safety door, on the uniform of the CCs, on the boarding card)
- Each zone is in charge of specific CCs
-  First Scene: Passenger Check in
- At this first stage, passengers know their cabin area symbol (colour, sign)
- Passengers who check in first, are assigned to area supposed to board first
- They are provided with a bum-bag and asked to put all little “precious” objects in during all the flight (medicine, glasses, money, passport, jewels...)

## Recommendations shaped like a boarding scenario : 2nd scene

-  2nd Scene context : Boarding room characteristics
- Divided in the same amount of areas as the cabin
- Drinks and light foods are proposed to promote conviviality in each area
- A set of safety information means are proposed to passengers
- All the information devices show the location of the areas in the whole cabin (entrance door, evacuation door of the area) and the safety briefing
- All the safety messages are completed by technological advertisements in order to be attractive and reinsuring
-  2nd Scene : Boarding
- Each passenger is asked to wait to the boarding order of his area.
- Each zone boards independently
- The CC in charge of the zone welcomes the passenger and introduces her/himself as the responsible of the zone
- The CC invites people to read the safety cards or to give attention to a safety message

**Notes:**
The possible information devices are: 
Safety videos. It could be cartoons or real acting. Cartoons presents several advantages :
Less expensive
Easier to renew (practically and economically)
Able to interest adults and children
Possibility to simulate complex things (special effects)
Interactive activity inspired from what we can find in some museum. It can be game for children (“clic on your area”, “clic on your evacuation door”, ...), or technological visit of the VLTA for adults.
Safety cards (map of the cabin,...)

## Expected effects on « actors »

-  The Passengers Situation Awareness should contain
- A good mental map of the aircraft with the location of her/his emergency door.
- A precise idea of the emergency tasks involved in the evacuation (live jacket, route to reach the door, jumping,...)
- A rational idea of the chance to survive and then motivation to be attentive to all the safety information
- An affiliation feeling with the passengers supposed to leave the aircraft at the same door (same area).
- The CC leadership recognition
- The CC safety role recognition
-  An adapted collective behaviour
- Ordered evacuation
- CCs less inclined to move from their doors
- Organised and spontaneous rescue and safe behaviours

## The Fourth Triennial International Aircraft Fire and Cabin Safety 

**The Fourth Triennial ****International Aircraft Fire and Cabin Safety **
**Research Conference**