The LWF Blog

Fire Safety for Facilities Management Personnel – Do people panic? – Part 286

January 13, 2025 11:46 am

Lawrence Webster Forrest (LWF) is a specialist fire engineering and fire risk management consultancy whose aim is to give information on best practice in fire safety for facilities management personnel through this blog series. In part 285, LWF considered what happens when the fire itself becomes the point of interest to the public. In part 286, we discuss the concept of panic in a fire situation.

It may surprise many readers to know that people do not actually panic in a fire situation. However, this doesn’t mean that they make good decisions either. Research and findings from real fire situations show that people think clearly in a fire emergency, but that they have inadequate information available to them which would enable them to make decisions seen as logical. The lack of information may take the form of not understanding fire development, or it may be simply that there is no information on what is happening in the short-term and the immediate environment.

The lack of information can lead to the need to confer with others and get opinions, or discuss the fire/alarm. The lack of general understanding about fire development can be addressed through staff training. The lack of short-term information can be solved by simply providing it through a voice fire alarm system.

The terrible incidents at the World Trade Center on 9/11 (11 September 2001) must have been terrifying for those people occupying the buildings, however, little, if any, panic was exhibited. Anecdotal evidence speaks of rational behaviour and care for others and this tends to be typical of other disastrous events, such as plane crashes.

Historically, it was thought that to let people know there was a fire in a building would lead to panic. It was commonly thought that announcing the fire to building occupants would lead to scenes of chaos and panic. Even currently, some codes advocate against the use of fire alarm sounders throughout, although voice alarm systems are acceptable. While it is certainly advantageous to use a voice alarm system, the reasoning is simply that alarm sounders or bells do not give information. It’s certainly the case that traditional alarm sounders, far from causing panic in people, are sometimes simply ignored.

In part 287 of this series, LWF will continue looking at the case for panic and the examples that back the theory of calm, rational behaviour in fire situations. In the meantime, if you have any queries about your own facilities or wish to discuss this blog series, please contact LWF on freephone 0800 410 1130.

Lawrence Webster Forrest is a fire engineering consultancy based in Surrey with over 35 years’ experience, which provides a wide range of consultancy services to professionals involved in the design, development and construction and operation of buildings.

 

While care has been taken to ensure that information contained in LWF’s publications is true and correct at the time of publication, changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of this information