ABSTRACT

This second edition of Fires and Human Behaviour was originally published in 1990 and since the first edition in 1980 there continued to be considerable loss of life in small and large fires throughout the world. The most significant of these from a behavioural point of view was the Kings Cross underground station in 1988. This was a relatively small fire caused by inappropriate human actions.

What appeared to remain timeless and of value ten years after the first edition was published were the details of what actually happens in fires and the psychological models that emerged from studying those details. This second edition was therefore edited to keep the original detailed case studies and to add information about some major incidents that had occurred since 1980.

chapter Chapter 1|14 pages

Studying the Experience of Fires

chapter Chapter 4|16 pages

Playing with Matches: Children and Fire

chapter Chapter 5|20 pages

The Concept of ‘Panic'

chapter Chapter 6|14 pages

A Survey of Behaviour in Fires

chapter Chapter 7|20 pages

Fat Fires: A Domestic Hazard

chapter Chapter 10|26 pages

Fires in Nursing Facilities

chapter Chapter 12|30 pages

An Overview of Human Behaviour in Fires

chapter Chapter 14|10 pages

Experiencing Fires