Modeling Emergency Evacuation of Individuals with Disabilities in a Densely Populated Airport

Abstract

Emergency evacuation from airports is an important consideration, given the continuing occurrence of natural and human-caused disasters affecting these locations. These incidents have focused attention on the needs of individuals with disabilities, who are more likely to suffer during emergency situations. The agent-based model presented in this paper can be used by engineering and management professionals in design and planning efforts to estimate the evacuation performance of heterogeneous populations from airports. The model classifies the environment according to accessibility characteristics encompassing various conditions that have a disproportionate effect on the behavior of individuals with disabilities during an evacuation. The results of a simulation experiment demonstrate some of the limitations of the pier airport design and identify which individuals are most at risk: those with lower stamina and those using wheelchairs. The results also reveal areas of the airport that are prone to bottlenecks or clogging.