Investigating exit choices in fire evacuation using multi-user virtual reality experiments

Abstract

Understanding exit choice behavior during evacuations is critical for enhancing safety and efficiency in real-life emergencies. Individual, social and environmental factors can significantly influence group decision-making during evacuations. While a substantial amount of research has focused on individual exit choice behaviors, very few studies have investigated how group decision-making is affected by various factors during emergencies, especially when group splitting occurs. This study investigates the impacts of individual, social, and environmental factors on both individual and group exit choice decision-making, using a multi-user virtual reality (VR) setup that simulates fire evacuation scenarios. We conducted experiments with 127 participants, organized in groups ranging from 1 to 4 group members. We observed a clear tendency for 2-, 3-, and 4-person groups to split into smaller units during evacuations, with 2-person subgroups being the most common and larger groups showing a higher likelihood of splitting. Then, a discrete choice model was used to analyze the effects of various social, individual and environmental factors on the participants’ exit choices. The results showed that participants were not only influenced by the factors significant in individual decision-making, such as distance to exits, familiarity with exits, and smoke, but also by the choices of other group members, demonstrating a strong social influence. Additionally, the impact of smoke was more pronounced in subgroup settings. This research highlights the significant differences between decision-making at the individual and subgroup levels during fire evacuations, providing insights for developing more sophisticated evacuation simulation models and building safety management protocols.