The influence of cultures on response-phase behaviour during an evacuation

Accidents in buildings happen frequently and if people are not evacuated in time, this could have major consequences. The behaviour of building occupants is one of the most critical determinants herein, as response phase behaviour can significantly influence total evacuation time. During the response phase, building occupants execute a series of information and action tasks, before they start their actual evacuation movement. One of the factors influencing behaviour during the response phase is culture. This research uses a case study of a library evacuation to find out how cultures influence response phase behaviour and evacuation outcomes. Herein Czech Republic, Poland, Turkey and The United Kingdom are compared. It has been researched how building occupants from these countries show differences and similarities in affiliative behaviour and in their responses to cues and different types of environments. These observed behaviours have been implemented in an agent-based model to find out how the emergent behaviour of building occupants from different cultures influences evacuation outcomes. This model has been used to develop recommendations for evacuation policies among different cultures.