Skip to main content    

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

**Official websites use .gov**              A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.            

**Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**              A **lock** (  LockA locked padlock) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.            

https://www.nist.gov/el/fire-research-division-73300/building-occupant-safety-publications-0

            -  Topics  -  All Topics 
-  Advanced communications 
-  Artificial intelligence 
-  Bioscience 
-  Buildings and construction 
-  Chemistry 
-  Climate 
-  Cybersecurity 
-  Electronics 
-  Energy 
-  Environment 
-  Fire 
-  Forensic science 
-  Health 
-  Information technology 
-  Infrastructure 
-  Manufacturing 
-  Materials 
-  Mathematics and statistics 
-  Metrology 
-  Nanotechnology 
-  Neutron research 
-  Performance excellence 
-  Physics 
-  Public safety 
-  Resilience 
-  Standards 
-  Transportation 
 
            -  Publications 
            -  Labs & Major Programs  -  Laboratories    -  Communications Technology Laboratory 
  -  Engineering Laboratory 
  -  Information Technology Laboratory 
  -  Material Measurement Laboratory 
  -  Physical Measurement Laboratory 
-  User Facilities    -  NIST Center for Neutron Research 
  -  CNST NanoFab 
-  Research Test Beds 
-  Research Projects 
-  Tools & Instruments 
-  Major Programs    -  Baldrige Performance Excellence Program 
  -  CHIPS for America Initiative 
  -  Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) 
  -  Office of Advanced Manufacturing 
  -  Special Programs Office 
  -  Technology Partnerships Office 
 
            -  Services & Resources  -  Standards and Measurements    -  Calibration Services 
  -  Laboratory Accreditation (NVLAP) 
  -  Quality System 
  -  Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) 
  -  Standards.gov 
  -  Time Services 
  -  Office of Weights and Measures 
-  Software 
-  Data    -  Chemistry WebBook 
  -  National Vulnerability Database 
  -  Physical Reference Data 
  -  Standard Reference Data (SRD) 
-  Storefront 
-  License & Patents 
-  Computer Security Resource Center (CSRC) 
-  NIST Research Library 
 
            -  News & Events  -  News 
-  Events 
-  Blogs 
-  Feature Stories 
-  Awards 
-  Video Gallery 
-  Image Gallery 
-  Media Contacts 
 
            -  About NIST  -  About Us    -  Leadership 
  -  Organization Structure 
  -  Budget & Planning 
-  Contact Us 
-  Visit 
-  Careers    -  Student programs 
-  Work with NIST 
-  History    -  NIST Digital Archives 
  -  NIST Museum 
  -  NIST and the Nobel 
-  Educational Resources 
 

Engineering Laboratory

## Fire Research Division

-  Groups  Expand or Collapse    -  Fire Fighting Technology 
  -  Engineered Fire Safety 
  -  Flammability Reduction 
  -  Wildland-Urban Interface Fire 
  -  National Fire Research Laboratory 
-  Product & Services  Expand or Collapse    -  Consolidated Fire and Smoke Transport Model (CFAST) 
  -  Fire Calorimetry Database (FCD) 
  -  Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) and Smokeview 
  -  Fire Research Grants Program 
  -  Fire on the Web 
  -  Fire.Gov for the Fire Service 
  -  NIST Technical Note 1483 
  -  Next Generation Fire Suppression Technology 
  -  Selected Publications 
  -  Software 
  -  Turnout Gear Selector (ToGS) 
-  Programs/Projects  Expand or Collapse    -  Fire Risk Reduction in Buildings Program 
  -  Fire Risk Reduction in Communities Program 
-  Employment 

# Building Occupant Safety Publications

## Share

Facebook

Linkedin

Twitter

Email

## Design and Construction of Building Exits

Soon after the Iroquois Theater Fire (1906), the Rhoades Opera House Fire (1908), and the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire (1911), the engineering and building code community in the United States began to consider the movement of people subsequent to an unwanted fire. By the 1930's, more sophisticated concepts for evacuation (e.g., flow rate for occupants leaving the building) were being developed. These concepts, along with the now-ubiquitous 1.2 m (44 in) stair width, were documented in 1935 by the National Bureau of Standards (NBS, now NIST) report "Design and Construction of Building Exits."  The landmark 1935 NBS report substantiates recommendations for exit system design based on surveys distributed to practicing architects, field inspections, citations to previous investigations as far back as 1909, as well as simple observations of exits and exit component usage during rush-hour and fire drill evacuation conditions for contemporary building designs. These recommendations constitute the primary basis for current egress requirements, though modifications have resulted from large-loss incidents, as well as subsequent research (e.g., the work of Templar, Pauls, Predtechenskii and Milinskii, and Fruin).Design and Construction of Building Exits

## Occupant Behavior

Along with the considerable effort in collecting and understanding movement during evacuation, NIST is involved in the study of human behavior during fires and other emergencies. An understanding of emergency human response and decision-making will provide foundation for future codes and standards requirements as well as improve techniques used by evacuation models to more accurately simulate occupant behavior during fire evacuations.

Occupant Behavior in a High-rise Office Building Fire

Modeling Human Behavior during Building Fires

The Process of Human Behavior in Fires

Mass Notification Messages: Workshop Proceedings

Developing Emergency Communication Strategies for Buildings

## Infrastructure of Building Egress

New technologies, design challenges, and research are rapidly redefining the state‐of‐the‐art in building evacuation. NIST is involved in understanding engineering design choices related to egress from buildings, including both stair and elevators egress systems. This research has formed the technical basis for significant revisions to building code provisions that consider the impact of all aspects building design including the use of elevators by occupants and first responders, appropriate design of stairs, the use of refuge areas, and other active and passive fire protection measures that may be included in a building design.

RETHINKING EGRESS: A VISION FOR THE FUTURE; Workshop Proceedings, April 1-3, 2008, Warrenton, Virginia

Economics of Egress Alternatives and Life-Safety Costs

Overall and Local Movement Speeds During Fire Drill Evacuations in Buildings up to 31 Stories

Questioning the linear relationship between doorway width and achievable flow rate

Five Grand Challenges in Pedestrian and Evacuation Dynamics

Research on the Use of Elevators During Fire Emergencies

## Modeling Occupant Egress from Buildings

Evacuation calculations are increasingly becoming a part of performance-based analyses to assess the level of life safety provided in buildings. In some cases, engineers are using back-of-the-envelope (hand) calculation to assess life safety, and in others, evacuation models are being used. NIST research in understanding the limits of existing models and developing new capabilities is providing the engineering community with more robust models appropriate for a range of design needs.

The Faults with Defaults

Representing Egress Behaviour in Engineering Terms

A Review of Building Evacuation Models, 2nd Edition

What a User Should Know When Selecting an Evacuation Model (Fire Protection Engineering, Fall 2005)

"Computer Evacuation Models for Buildings." in The SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering Fourth Edition, available from http://www.sfpe.org

Buildings and ConstructionBuilding codes and standardsFire

### HEADQUARTERS

301-975-2000

Webmaster | Contact Us | Our Other Offices

TwitterFacebookLinkedInInstagramYouTubeGiphyRSS FeedMailing List

Feedback

            -  Site Privacy 
            -  Accessibility 
            -  Privacy Program 
            -  Copyrights 
            -  Vulnerability Disclosure 
            -  No Fear Act Policy 
            -  FOIA 
            -  Environmental Policy 
            -  Scientific Integrity 
            -  Information Quality Standards 
            -  Commerce.gov 
            -  Science.gov 
            -  USA.gov 
            -  Vote.gov