National Safety Council News Release, Feb. 14, 2002

For immediate release					
February 14, 2002							
Contact: Joe Larkin
630-775-2303
			
Behavior of People in Crisis is Critical for Successful Building Evacuation
According to a Report in the National Safety Council*s Injury Insights

Itasca, IL -- Evacuation plans are only as effective as the people charged to carry them out, according to Carl Aylen, Ph.D. and David A. Cole, Ph.D., principals and directors of The Cambridge Don, a research think tank and consultancy in Chicago.  

In a report in the February/March 2002 issue of the National Safety Council*s Injury Insights  titled *The Implications of Behavioral Factors for Effective Building Evacuation Plans and Procedures,* the researchers find that the way both building occupants and emergency response teams behave in a real crisis is the principle factor determining the success or failure of an evacuation. 

Because most emergency planning ignores behavioral factors, the authors advise a rigorous assessment and selection of the people charged to carry out evacuation plans. The authors find that only sophisticated assessment instruments, designed specifically for the purpose, can yield reliable predictions of behavior in a crisis.  

Everyone in the building community should share in the decision-making authority and planning of hazard identification and evacuation response. The authors find that this collaborative evacuation model ensures that building communities will be collectively alert and resilient in the face of unexpected crises. 

The February/March issue of Injury Insights also includes reviews of other new research: a report on new data from the 2001 edition of Injury Facts; updates of motor vehicle death statistics; state data on motor vehicle deaths; and a commentary that points out some limitations of research on cell phone use while driving, including a study reported in the August/September 2001 issue. 

The current issue also announces the Consortium for Injury and Disability Research Symposium, tentatively scheduled for May 29, 2002 at the University of Connecticut, Farmington. 

Annual subscriptions to the bi-monthly newsletter Injury Insights can be purchased at the National Safety Council website, <http://www.nsc.org>.

#   #   #