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S2E04 | Familiarity and debunking the myth of Panic

UNLIMITED

S2E04 | Familiarity and debunking the myth of Panic

FromUncovered Witness: Fire Science Revelations


UNLIMITED

S2E04 | Familiarity and debunking the myth of Panic

FromUncovered Witness: Fire Science Revelations

ratings:
Length:
39 minutes
Released:
Aug 12, 2024
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

Welcome to Season 2 of Uncovered Witness: Fire Science Revelations! This season, the show's theme is Humans as part of a fire safety engineered system. In this series, we will unravel our understanding of human behaviour in fires and how this complex behaviour may be accounted for in the fire-safe design of buildings. Our understanding of the occupant response, decision-making process and biases may influence our design of exits and improve (or impede) the egress process. In the final episode of Season 2, we continue the discussion on familiarity, which is explained through the theory of affiliation. Why clustering of people is a more familiar state than evacuating alone? How may understanding the familiarity of exits ruin our evacuation plan, and why should the main exit serve the occupants as their main escape route? Here, we demonstrate how understanding human behaviour theories may help us engineer better.In the final part of this episode, we deal with some damaging myths related to human behaviour in fires. First, we discuss the altruistic behaviour of people, showing how compassion is more widely observed in fires compared to an individualistic approach. Then, we discuss the definition of Panic - one as understood by the scientists studying the phenomenon and the other as understood by media/layman. We discuss why panic is often used as a clickbait, scapegoat or cover-up of more serious technical issues (often all three at the same time). It is imperative that engineers understand the true concept of panic and other aspects of human behaviour and then use this knowledge to design better buildings.Guests featured in this podcast episode:Prof. Daniel Nilsson, University of Canterbury, Halliwell Fire ResearchThank you for being us in the Season 2 of the Uncovered Witness. Follow @WojciechITB at Twitter or https://www.linkedin.com/in/wojciech-wegrzynski/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/fireresearchgroupltd for current information about new episode releases. Season 3 is coming soon, and this time, we will discuss the legal skeleton of a building and the responsibilities for building defects related to fire safety! This show is produced by the Fire Science Media for Halliwell Fire Research. Executive producer - Monika Węgrzyńska, scripting and production - Monika and Wojciech Węgrzyńscy, sound engineer - Mikołaj Jarząbek. All rights reserved. 2024.
Released:
Aug 12, 2024
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (13)

In this podcast, I am joining HALLIWELL Fire Research to provide a fundamental insight into fire science. With content that does not require any prior knowledge, we hope to guide the listener from the basics into the real fire science revelations. With an in-depth discussion of past catastrophic fires and the most impactful research, we build a sound foundation on where the knowledge on fire comes from. We also take a look into the future and how the field may change in the coming years."Uncovered Witness" aspires to foster a deeper appreciation for fire science, highlight the critical role of fire safety in architectural and engineering design, and encourage a multidisciplinary approach to improving fire safety standards. By making fire science accessible to a diverse audience, including lawyers, investors, architects, and others, the podcast underscores the universal relevance of fire safety knowledge and its impact on society. Through education and awareness, it aims to inspire improvements in fire safety practices and designs, contributing to the prevention of fire-related tragedies.