• The more helping of others • The more coordination and cooperation as people act as one instead of as separate individuals • The greater emotional calmness as people expect more mutual aid from others. In other words, there is no need to panic! An important aspect of managing the behaviour of the evacuating crowd is communication therefore, clear signposts and simple, audible public address messages are vital. Poor communications can lead to people stopping, moving against the flow of the crowd, blocking passages, or making frequent demands on staff for directions. People without information, or given contradictory information, can become frustrated and aggressive. "How much people know about the layout and design of the place affects the way they act, especially in an emergency. Visitors familiar with a venue are likely to use known routes to favourite viewing-points or attractions and may persist in doing this, even if the routes are closed. Those who do not know a venue may block routes while deciding which way to go and well-placed signs and information about attractions can help them decide quickly. In an emergency, people often leave by the way they know best, even if it appears more dangerous". Modification of crowd flow by Physical Design and Messages The crowd flow needs to be modified and managed to ensure people follow the most optimal route. This can be achieved by signage showing the best way of movement for the crowd or individuals. Again, this will have been driven from a risk assessment and perhaps evacuation simulations. Typical fire emergency signage should not be the only way to go, other signage should be used, such as no entry notifications. The flow can also be modified by arranging for crowd routes to flow easily to the final exit point. This can be achieved by the use of barriers or screens to construct a temporary flow route, for example at soccer stadiums, concerts, etc. The factors governing the flow of people are the capacity of the route, the number of people involved and spatial conditions, as covered in an earlier section. Initial thoughts may be to make the route and the final exit points to 'over capacity' , meaning that the exit would be excessively wide. However, a crowd seeing such a route may then be inclined to stampede. "It is known that one of the most disastrous forms of collective human behaviour is the kind of crowd stampede induced by panic. This situation often leads to fatalities as people are crushed or trampled". So, by design if the route has the correct capacity balance to modify the crowd flow the stampede scenario should be avoided. In fact, as well as modifying the direction of the crowd, it is desirable to create a funnel effect to allow safe exit. Central handrails on wide stairwells are a good idea, as people tend to walk closer to the handrails. The central handrail allows double the amount of people to use them at one time. Clear instructions as to the way to go (or indeed not) are an important aspect of managing the crowd flow, this messaging can be achieved by fixed PA systems or handheld amplifier units . Simple unambiguous 'shouted' commands can be used to great effect but are limited in terms of people hearing them.
©SHEilds – All rights reserved FCV 4 JUN 2021
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