The Effect of Escalator Height on Fire and Disaster Evacuation in Buildings: A Simulation-Based Approach

As building heights increases, the escalator is used more frequently. Individuals who are unable to hold safety railings may lose balance during fire alarms or emergency stops. Shorter stair heights shift the body’s center of gravity, making movement easier. This experimental study assessedthe evacuation times for varying stair heights when escalators wereas used during emergencies. Escalator accidents were investigated, and both domestic and international studies on stair heights were analyzed. Evacuation efficiency based on the stair height was also evaluated through an simulation. Our findings indicate that smaller step heights resulted in a shorter evacuation time and facilitated safer evacuation. Therefore, if the simulation program is further refined, it couldwould be applied int real-world scenarios and conduct further research on evacuations.