Development of a seismic evacuation safety index (ESI) for public schools

• Main Author: Cariño, Jan Mae N.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2017
• Subjects: School buildings > Philippines; Seismic event location > Philippines
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/5379
• Institution: De La Salle University

Schools are one of the most vulnerable structures to the impact of natural hazards as it poses the highest threat to human safety especially to children. Disasters caused by seismic events can be less damaging if schools has better understanding of the hazard and implements countermeasures against them. Assessment of the disaster risk reduction management plan of schools is of paramount importance as it is the first step in risk reduction and management. In this regard, a seismic evacuation safety index (ESI) was developed to quantify a schools safety in terms of means of egress, disaster preparedness and disaster response. This tool could aid primary stakeholders in identifying risks and evaluating the schools evacuation and disaster management program. Furthermore this study can be used to classify schools according to their level of evacuation safety. An evacuation model in the framework of cellular automata (CA) theory and static floor field of a classroom setting was developed and studied to estimate the evacuation time for a realistic understanding of the evacuation processes. The simulation results show that the number of exit doors and its position can significantly affect the evacuation time. Thus, evacuation simulations can help optimize the buildings evacuation performance. The ESI and the evacuation simulation model were developed as a web-based tool which aids in carrying out a quick and structured assessment of the schools. Both the ESI and the simulation serve as a basis for effective evacuation planning and decision making.