Throughput capacity of rescue equipment and sectional evacuation device upon conducting emergency rescue operations
Authors:   Voronezh institute of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, Kalach Andrey V. , Kapustin Aleksander A. ,   EMERCOM of Russia Main Office for Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District, Shavaleev Marat R. ,   Ural Institute of State Fire Service of EMERCOM of Russia
Published: November 2023

PURPOSE. The key parameter for rescuing people during fires, especially at places of large assembly, is reducing the time for moving people. In case of a fire in a building, a number of circumstances can occur that influence its development and, as a result, the firefighting operations of fire crews (rapid fire spread along combustible finishing, collapse of suspended structures, quick and dense smoke in rooms, panic). To reduce the time for rescuing people the authors propose to apply a sectional evacuation device. The article analyzes the most high-profile fires at places with large numbers of people, and also calculates the time for rescuing people from the fire area when using a sectional evacuation device and other rescue equipment. METHODS. The following theoretical methods were used in the research: classification, analysis, modeling, and analogy. FINDINGS. The calculation of time for rescuing people from the fire area was carried out in accordance with the following tactical plan: as a consequence of a fire at a place with a large assembly (shopping and entertainment center), 31 people appeared to be cut off on the third floor of the building from the evacuation routes to the safe zone. Due to the fact that rescuing people by evacuation routes was impossible, rescue operations were conducted through the emergency exit (the 3 floor window). The results of the calculated time needed for rescuing people show that the task of rescuing people is completed in 8.08 minutes when using a spiral fire rescue hose and elastic rescue hose. The sectional evacuation device showed a result of 4.82 minutes. The rescue device achieved this result thanks to its special funnel-shaped design; zigzag trajectory of people’s movement; changing direction of a person’s movement from section to section; the lack of any training requirements for people being rescued. Unlike fire rescue hoses, the sectional evacuation device has some limitations in use, namely: the device cannot be used by disabled people (with static and dynamic function impairment), bedridden patients, preschool children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. RESEARCH APPLICATION FIELD. Available rescue equipment is the only possibility of moving to a fire-safe place. The solution to this problem can be facilitated by the development of special technical means that operate on external energy sources, or operate on the principle of gradual reduction in the energy of falling mass of a load from a height. As a latter, the authors propose to use a sectional evacuation device. CONCLUSIONS. The results of the calculations show that the most effective device for rescuing victims from places with large assembly is a sectional evacuation device. This result was achieved thanks to high throughput capacity of victims per unit of time.