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

September 17, 2003
Introduction

• One of the largest evacuation studies ever conducte• Multidisciplinary approach is bridging knowledge an

expertise in a new and innovative way

• Coordinated with other WTC studies in order to redu

respondent burden:

• Columbia University• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Purpose

To document egress by gathering and analyzing

information about:

• evacuation systems, emergency communication

human factors, and

• occupant location, evacuation experience, and

observed building conditions, and

• interaction between occupants, first responders

the buildings.
Scope of Occupant Behavior, Evacuatio

Emergency Response Study

• Occupant behavior and evacuation technologies and practices for ta

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

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

• Command, control, and communication systems for emergency resp

• Location of incident command post; mobilization, staging, and deployment; log

training; pre-event planning

• Content and timing, among occupants and authorities, within and outside buildi

inter group communications

• Observations of fire/smoke conditions, structural damage, water flow
Desired Outcomes

• Enhanced evacuation systems• Enhanced safety of occupants

Make all buildings safer

for occupants and first responders
Collection of Occupant First Person Acc

• 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

Objective: Document the evacuation of World Tra

Center 1, 2, and 7 and collect observations andexperiences 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

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
Telephone Interviews

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

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
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
Contact Information

• Survivors, families, and retired first responders may volunte

participate in the face-to-face interviews by contacting:

877-221-7828 (toll free)

• Alternatively, families of victims may volunteer to participat

face-to-face interviews via the following web site:

https://wtc.nist.gov/family

• Anonymous tip line: 888-804-7581 (toll free)• Mail address: NIST World Trade Center Investigation Team

100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8610Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8610

• E-mail: wtc@nist.gov• Facsimile: 301-975-6122• WTC web site: http://wtc.nist.gov