Sleeping Persons Reaction Time to AFD

[SidM]

Is there any research out there that demonstrates how long the start up time is for people sleeping in a hotel, flat above a shop etc?

[nearlythere]

Arrousal From Sleep by Emergency Alarms, Implications from the Scientific Literature - 1978

[CivvyFSO]

Not really research, but PD7974-6 has some values for different groups/occupancies, and is accepted guidance.

[nearlythere]

Not really research, but PD7974-6 has some values for different groups/occupancies, and is accepted guidance.

No, but it does list research sources.

[Phoenix]

Sid,

Start up times in sleeping risk premises are probably one of the most difficult things to predict.  There are two things you can say for certain, firstly that they are very variable (when unmanaged) and secondly that they are likely to be very long (again, when unmanaged).  Typically, 30 minutes. 

I, of course, have no knowledge of the circumstances in which you are immersed and which led to this query but I can say that if you are trying to assess required escape times (RSET) against available safe times (ASET) then a good approach for coming up with a reliable estimation of this element of the required escape time is, rather than relying on people to rouse themselves in order to evacuate, to instigate a management regime that knocks each occupant up (so to speak) - someone going round the bedrooms banging on doors, to put it crudely.  People will respond to this whereas they will bury their heads in pillows in response to alarms.  Doing this, it is possible to come up with a reasonably accurate period of time that is required to get everyone moving. 

This is not suitable for all premises, of course, but it may offer you or others a reliable way towards a solution.

Stu

[Tom Sutton]

Link to NT post http://fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/fire78/PDF/f78005.pdf .

You may find "45/1992: Human Behaviour in Fires" of some use? http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/fire/pdf/155997.pdf

[wee brian]

The whole point of PD7974-6 is that it takes all the recognised research and complies it in one place. It's a PD so that it can be updated easier than a BS.

I'd use the PD unless theres a good reason not to.

[Phoenix]

Sid,

I'd agree with wee brian that 7974 part 6 is a good place to look.  Towards the back you will find suggested times for different establishments but I hope that you will conclude from looking at these (and from looking at any of the other source documents) that acceptance of deterministic values for start up times for sleeping people is often spurious.  The times are too long and prone to too much variation to be of much use.

The only means by which more reliable and conclusive figures can be derived is by having management systems in place that take control of the rousing and motivating of the sleeping population.

Here's a personal experience.

Personally, I'm terrible at getting up if the alarm goes off in a hotel I'm staying in.  I'll happily bury my head under the pillow, roll over and go back to sleep.  One night, however, when I was peacefully dreaming my dreams in a hotel the alarm went off and it was so loud and the vibrating headboard (a good bit of equipment) was so severe and the lights that came on were so bright that, without further need for management intervention, I was only too pleased to get out of the bedroom and go to the assembly point (for a bit of peace). 

Stu