Buildings such as pubs, entertainment bars, and clubs have complex internal structures, and are spaces used by many unspecified people, which can cause difficulties for inmates to evacuate in the event of a fire. The main types of occupants in these buildings are drinkers, who are likely to suffer more damage due to slower fire recognition and evacuation capacity than non-drinkers, leading to large-scale casualties. The relevant legislation obliges 'fire risk assessments' to ensure the safety of buildings in the event of fire due to these risks. At this time, evacuation data of inmates are usually entered, reflecting the general input data presented by relevant legal standards due to limited performance of research related to human behavior and lack of data. Since these safety assessment methods can reduce reliability and pose greater risks, it is judged that many studies related to human behavior and fire escape for accurate and reliable data derivation should be conducted.
In this study, an evacuation experiment assuming a fire situation was conducted to observe and analyze the time required and behavior changes of the victims in the evacuation phase. At this time, the inmates were classified as belonging to the experimental participating group according to whether or not they drank alcohol, and individual blood alcohol concentrations were measured through the unit.
The experimental analysis cases were analyzed by setting a total of three types: 1. By detailed group of drinkers, 2. Between group of drinkers and non-drinkers, and 3. By blood alcohol concentration of total drinkers according to the degree of drink. Statistical analysis was conducted to produce quantitative and reliable results, and overall significant results were found for the case intended to be analyzed.
As a result, the time required for evacuation of inmates increased significantly depending on whether or not they were drunk, and it was confirmed that the higher the drinking volume and blood alcohol concentration, the more additional behaviors and sudden behaviors could affect evacuation delays.
However, due to the nationwide spread of COVID-19, there were difficulties in recruiting and conducting experimental participants, resulting in insufficient samples and the fact that they were not conducted in real entertainment bars or clubs. Accordingly, future research will need to be conducted to compensate for the aforementioned limitations, and through this, we will derive input data related to the evacuation of drinkers to contribute to securing life safety in case of fire in related buildings in Korea.