Optimizing Fire Alarm Notification for High Risk Groups Research Project Summary report Prepared by: Steven M.V.. Gwynne, Ph.D. Hughes Associates, Inc. THE FIRE PROTECTION RESEARCH FOUNDATION ■■..,. - ..,. y_,- ., .. .,..... ...... --- ■ _.,. -- _.,. ---.....11 __.aw_,_..._, ·-•··----··--- ■ • ■ :------■-• ■ --.._-A............ ----y -11........ • a..-A •- THE FIRE PROTECTION RESEARCH FOUNDATION ONE BATTERYMARCH PARK QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A. 02169 E-MAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.nfpa.org/Foundation © Copyright The Fire Protection Research Foundation June 2007 FOREWORD In April of 2006, the Foundation was awarded a Fire Prevention and Safety Grant by the US Fire Administration to study the effectiveness of alarms for emergency notification of high risk groups. The study's aim was to optimize the performance requirements for alarm and signaling systems to meet the needs of these groups. Elements of the study included: a risk assessment to estimate the potential impact in lives saved of changes in notification effectiveness of smoke alarms for these groups; quantifying the human behavior aspects of the problem; developing benchmark performance criteria for alarm and signaling systems; reviewing current and emerging technologies that address the performance criteria; and assessing the information developed in the above tasks to develop recommendations on notification technology for each target group and the overall impact for the general population. This report is one in a series of four that report on the on the results of the study. The Research Foundation expresses gratitude to the report author Steven Gwynne of Hughes Associates, Inc.; the Project Technical Panelists listed on the following page; and to the United States Fire Administration, the project sponsor. The content, opinions and conclusions contained in this report are solely those of the author. Optimizing Fire Alarm Notification for High Risk Groups Research Project Technical Panel Rose Coniglio, Illinois Department on Aging Stephen DiGiovanni, Clark County (NV) Fire Department Joshua Elvove, General Services Administration Rita Fahy, NFPA Bruce Fraser, SimplexGrinnell Wendy Gifford, Invensys Controls/Firex C.hantal Laroche, University of Ottawa Arthur Lee, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Dana Mulvany Guylene Proulx, National Research Council of Canada Rodger Reiswig, SimplexGrinnell Lee Richardson, NFPA Robert Schifiliti, RP. Schifiliti Associates, Inc. John Woycheese, Worcester Polytechnic Institute Project Sponsor United States Fire Administration Grant No. EMW-2005-FP-01258 Optimizing Fire Alarm Notification for High Risk Groups Prepared for: The Fire Protection Research Foundation 1 Batterymarch Park Quincy, MA 02169-7471 Prepared by: Steven M.V. Gwynne, Ph.D., Hughes Associates, Inc. 3515 28th St., #307, Boulder, Colorado 80301, USA Reviewed by: David Boswell, SET and David Tomecek, PE Hughes Associates, Inc. 2 Garden Center, Suite 204 Broomfield, Colorado 80020 USA June 27, 2007 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The three key objectives of this project were to identify vulnerabilities; to facilitate research on the effectiveness of notification technologies for addressing these vulnerabilities; and to provide recommendations, given the findings produced. In order to achieve these objectives, a number of novel developments had to be made. Firstly, in order to identify vulnerabilities, it was felt necessary to develop a vulnerability model (derived inductively, from the bottom-up) rather than adopt a traditional high-level statistical approach. This was required given the difficulties found in reliably recording, storing and interrogating fire data. The development of this model required an exhaustive literary review producing an extensive list of vulnerabilities. As part of the model a metric was developed that enabled the categorization of the vulnerabilities found and improved our understanding of key vulnerability attributes. A similar approach was adopted when examining the notification technologies available. The current empirical data relating to the effectiveness of notification technologies was examined. This outlined our current understanding of their capabilities. By examining the recommendations for future work made by other researchers and through guidance provided by the Technical Panel, the set of vulnerabilities were further prioritized enabling us to focus on three of them: people with an alcohol impairment; people who are hard of hearing; and the general population in public spaces. A risk assessment was performed in order to establish the potential impact of reducing these three vulnerabilities. However, the assessment was hampered by the analytical (as opposed to statistical) nature of the model employed. The three data collection activities were conducted. The work conducted by Bruck, Thomas and Ball addressed a domestic situation where the participants were asleep and impaired, either through alcohol or through an existing hearing disability. The work conducted by Gwynne addressed non-domestic situations where those involved were awake. Bruck, Thomas and Ball established the importance of adopting a low frequency square wave T-3 (LFSW) signal in spaces where people sleep. During this work, the effectiveness of this signal was established for the alcohol impaired and those with a hearing disability. This was consistent with previous research regarding other populations including children and older adults. Other technologies examined were less effective; e.g. strobes and vibrating devices presented in isolation. Bruck, Thomas and Ball identified several key areas for future work: 1. That the technical feasibility of replacing the current high frequency smoke alarm T-3 signal with a low frequency square wave T-3 (LFSW) signal, for the entire population, be investigated. 2. That the T-3 pattern duration (ON/OFF pattern) be further investigated. 3. That the strobe should not be considered as a viable means of independent notification for people asleep. 4. That the combined use of signals be investigated (e.g. auditory T-3 plus one other), in conjunction with the development of a modular kit where combinations of these signals can be delivered. 2 5. That there should be further investigation of an appropriate means of measuring the intensity of bed and pillow shakers and that this inform a new standard. In public spaces, Gwynne clearly established the importance of both alerting and informing the population. This importance increased where preparation was not possible and the effectiveness of the emergency procedure was not guaranteed. Gwynne identified several key areas of future work: 6. Guidance should be provided on the use of a tone/voice combination in public spaces. This is generally important, but critical when preparation is not possible. The tone employed (e.g. low frequency square wave T-3, swooping tone, broadband, etc.) should be examined along with the content and format of the voice message provided including whether the voice announcement is live or pre-recorded. Clear guidance should be supplied on the information provided in such messages, making reference to literature associated with mass notification systems. 7. The technical feasibility of utilizing existing means of visual (and tactile) notification should be explored for public spaces. The potential for the emergency notification system to exploit existing non-emergency communication (e.g. large screens, televisions, monitors, paging, etc.) should also be examined. These findings were derived directly from the three data collection activities. Building on these findings, and on the rest of the work conducted during this project, a simple framework was developed recommending the notification systems to be implemented. This was sensitive to the potential for providing information to a population before and during an incident, rather than just to the type of occupancy involved. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project was conducted for the Fire Protection Research Foundation under a grant from the U.S. Fire Administration. This work reflects a collaborative effort between three principal organizations, Victoria University, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Hughes Associates, Inc. The author gratefully acknowledges the contribution of the Technical Panel, John Hall, Ian Thomas and Dorothy Bruck. I would also like to thank Dave Boswell and Dave Tomecek from Hughes Associates, Inc. for their assistance in producing this document. 4 CONTENTS Executive Summary 2 Acknowledgements 4 1. Introduction 8 2. Approach Adopted to Identify Vulnerabilities 10 3. Stage I: Literature Review 15 4. Stage I: Identification of Vulnerabilities 47 5. Stage I: Categorization of the Notification Process 53 6. Stage I: Notification Technology 63 7. Stage I: Recommendations for Stage II Research Activities 72 8. Stage II: Research Activity – Risk Assessment 76 9. Stage II: Research Activity – People who are Alcohol Impaired 87 10. Stage II: Research Activity – People who are Hard of Hearing 87 11. Stage II: Research Activity – Large Groups in Public Spaces 91 12. Discussion 95 13. Conclusions and Recommendations 104 14. References 106 15. Notification Technology Links 120 16. Appendix A: Request for Proposals - Large Groups 122 17. Appendix B: Request for Proposals - Alcohol Impaired 123 18. Appendix C: Request for Proposals - Hearing Impaired 124 5 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Architectural/Structural Factors the might influence performance..............................................................................18