Episode 263: Enhanced Regulations and Tools for All People During Disasters in Evacuation with Daniel Nilsson and Kevin Frank

Episode • Feb 27 • 13m

How can we improve evacuation systems for people with movement disabilities?

Hello Smart Firefighting Community!

Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy!

In this episode:

The challenges of designing evacuation systems for people with movement disabilities
The gap between regulations for accessibility and evacuation
How occupant evacuation elevators and areas of refuge can improve safety during evacuations

Hear from Daniel Nilsson - a Civil and Natural Resources Engineering (CNRE) professor at the University of Canterbury - and Kevin Frank - the Senior Fire Engineer at Fire and Emergency NZ.

Daniel and Kevin talk about their work on designing evacuation systems for people with movement disabilities. They highlight the disparity between regulations for building accessibility and those for evacuation, pointing out the responsibility of building owners to find suitable evacuation methods.

The discussion covers innovative solutions like occupant evacuation elevators and designated areas of refuge, stressing the importance of clear communication to ensure these systems are used effectively.

Daniel and Kevin also share their co-creational development process, using virtual reality to gather input from end users and develop design tools that cater to their needs. The conversation also touches on the role of the Institute of Fire Engineers in unifying and spreading knowledge throughout the global fire service.

So take a listen to hear what they have to share!

Episode Resources:

AFAC25 Conference

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