Jason D. Averill, Project Leader

Building and Fire Research Laboratory

National Institute of Standards and Technology 

U.S. Department of Commerce

jason.averill@nist.gov

Federal Building and Fire Safety Investigation 

of the World Trade Center Disaster

Project #7: Occupant Behavior, Egress, a

Emergency Communications

August 26, 2003
Project 7 Staff Project 7 Staff

NIST

Jason AverillRichard PeacockErica KuligowskiPaul Reneke

Experts

Norman GronerDennis MiletiGuylene Proulx

NuStats, Inc

Johanna ZmudRob SantosHeather ContrinoCarlos Arce

NuStats Consultan

Jon KrosnickJamie Abelson
Purpose and Outcomes Purpose and Outcomes

Purpose: To document the evacuation by collecti

analyzing information on:

• occupant behavior• human factors• egress• emergency communications• evacuation system

Desired Outcomes

• Enhanced evacuation systems• Enhanced safety of occupants
Technical Issues to be Investigated

• Occupant behavior and evacuation technologies and practices for tall buildi

(Project 7)

• Decision-making and situation awareness• Time-constrained evacuation strategies (e.g., defend-in-place)

• Role of floor wardens and fire safety directors• Issues concerning people with disabilities• Human factors issues and design of egress system

• Firefighting technologies and practices for tall buildings (Project 8)

• Means for emergency access, time to reach affected floors• Firefighting versus evacuation• Physical condition of firefighter under high-rise work conditions

• Situation awareness

• Command, control, and communication systems for emergency response (P

• Content and timing and quality of communications, among occupants and au

within and outside buildings, intra and inter group communications

• Observations of fire and smoke conditions, structural damage, water flow, li

from aircraft (Project 7)
Tasks

• Data Collection• Methodology• Review and Analysis• Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations
Data Collection Data Collection

• Evacuation History of World Trade Center – Te

Literature, PANYNJ, FDNY

• Design of the Egress System – Original Design 

Changes – Technical Literature, PANYNJ

• Evacuation Planning – Technical Literature, PA• Emergency Communication Systems – System 

Specifications, PANYNJ

• Existing Published Accounts – Over 500 Intervi

Collected and Quantitatively Analyzed - NFPA

• First Person Accounts
First Person Accounts First Person Accounts

9 Expert Team Assembled (Groner, Mileti, Proulx)9 Methodology Developed9 Contractor Selected (NuStats, Inc.)9 Survey Instruments/Protocols Drafted• IRB Approval (In Review)• Paperwork Reduction Act Approval (Federal Registe

Published)

• Certificate of Confidentiality• Field Work Begins• Field Work Complete• Review and Analysis• Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations
Collection of First Person Accounts Collection of First Person Accounts

• Face-to-face Interviews

• Up to 350 Occupants of WTC 1, 2, and 7

• Telephone Interviews

• 800 Occupants of WTC 1 and 2

• Focus Group Interviews

• 5 Focus Groups of ~10 People Each
Face-to-face Interviews face Interviews

Objective: Document the evacuation of World Tra

Center 1, 2, and 7 and collect observations and experiences relevant to the Investigation.

Universe: Individuals inside WTC 1, 2, or 7 on the 

morning of September 11, 2001 at the time of thairplane impact
Face-to-face Interviews face Interviews

Selected Groups• People Near the Impact• Persons with Building Responsibility• Evacuees from the Lower and Middle Thirds of 

and 2

• Building 7 Evacuees• Mobility Challenged• People in Elevators or Lobbies• Families of the Victims who Communicated Afte

Impact
Face-to-face Interview Methodology face Interview Methodology

Computer-assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI)• Uninterrupted Narrative• Structured, Chronological Record

• Cue-Action-Reason

• Technical Probes
Face-to-face Interviews face Interviews

Sample Cue-Action-Reason

Because in I wished I htaken my la

So I grabbed my laptop computer

Other people started to head for the stairwell

Cue Action Reaso
Face-to-face Interviews face Interviews

Sample Technical Probes• Did you observe anyone moving against the flow 

the stairwells during your evacuation?

• You mentioned that you saw fire in the core are

Which of the graphics in front of you best approximates the size of the fire?
Telephone Interviews Telephone Interviews

Objective: Generalize human behaviors and evacuation experiences of the occupants of WorTrade Center 1 and 2 Universe: Individuals inside WTC 1 or 2 on the morning of September 11, 2001 at the time of thfirst airplane impact
Telephone Interviews Telephone Interviews

4478

110

Stratific

Strat

WTC 1

94 – 98

Zone 3Zone 2Zone 1

Stratification Variables:•Tower 1 or Tower 2•Floor Height Using 3 Zones•Tenant Size
Telephone Interviews Telephone Interviews

Build and Test Evacuation TModel Using Telephone Int

Information Factors

Social

Factors

Psychological

Attributes

Physiological

Factors

Perceived

Risk Confirmation A
Telephone Interview Structure Telephone Interview Structure

• Initial awareness

• information (source, channel, additional)• social, physical, risk perception

• Interim awareness

• information (source, channel, additional)• social, physical, risk perception, action

• Egress

• incentives

• constraints• characteristics

• Outcomes

• injuries

• observations
Telephone Interviews Telephone Interviews

Sample Questions: • I would like you to think about the time period betw

you first became aware that something had happenWorld Trade Center and when you began your evaDuring this time period, did you receive any additioinformation on what was going on?

• At any time during your evacuation did you leave th

stairwell?

• Is there anything else you would like to say or let pe

know regarding your experience on September 11t
Focus Group Interviews Focus Group Interviews

Objective: Enhance recall of specific group experSelected Groups:• Occupants Near the Floors of Impact• Occupants Trapped in Elevators• Occupants Above Floors of Impact• Witnesses to Fireball in Lobby• Other
Analysis of First Person Accounts Analysis of First Person Accounts

Quantitative Analysis (Regression, Correlation, Tests of 

Statistical Significance, etc)

• Telephone Interviews• Existing Published Accounts

Qualitative Analysis (Established Data Analysis Softwar

• Face-to-face Interviews• Focus Group Interviews
Findings, Conclusions, and Recommend

Findings, Conclusions, and Recommend

Compare and Analyze:

• Evacuation History• Published Accounts• Photographic and Electronic Data• Data from First Person Accounts• Egress and Emergency Communication Sy

Design Records

Develop:

• Findings• Conclusions• Recommendations
Advisory Committee Feedback: Advisory Committee Feedback:

• Overall goals and objectives

• Data collection, review, and analysis app• Other ideas and suggestions?