Fire Safety Evaluation of Convenience Facilities in Highway Service Areas

This study proposes measures to create a safer environment in highway service areas by evaluating evacuation safety during a fire.According to the results of the fire simulation using PyroSim, the evacuation time for a single door was measured to be approximately 11 seconds longer than for a double door.The evacuation simulation results using Pathfinder showed that occupants were able to evacuate within the given criteria in the scenario where only one of the two double doors was used.Even when a single door was installed, and only one exit was used, the evacuation was completed faster than the standard time.Comparing the RSET and ASET values, it was found that when the rest area entrance had double doors, and only one of the three exits was open, the RSET (253.3s)exceeded the ASET (223.0s),indicating that life safety could not be ensured.In the PyroSim and Pathfinder semi-coupling method, the evacuation time increased by 3.2 seconds for double doors and 5.8 seconds for single doors compared to the non-coupling method.For performance-based design, to evaluate life safety through simulation, it was first proposed that there is a need to understand the characteristics of various fire and evacuation simulation tools released globally and reflect these in newly established performance-based design standards.