Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

Travel speed measurements to clarify the effect of visibility on evacuee’s performance were conducted. Visual ability is an independent variable. The two age groups (30 young and 30 aged) are subjected to visual acuity tests, prior to the travel experiment. Eight levels of floor illuminance, complete or incomplete adaptation conditions and luminous conditions with or without smoke were set. The travel speed of the younger group is faster than that of the aged group regardless of illuminance level and smoke density, but the age difference of travel speed can be treated by visual acuity. In this report, a calculation model to predict travel speed by luminous environment (incorporating illuminance level, adaptation condition, and smoke density) and evacuee’s visual acuity was conducted. This model helps predict the performance of evacuees such as the adaptation process after sudden blackouts or travel speed under fire smoke.