To areas of refuge and beyond: proposals for improving egressibility for the disabled : A case study in Italy

This article examines the issue of inclusive fire design understood as a set of actions, planning and management, which must be implemented in every building in which the issue of accessibility in emergency conditions is to be dealt with in an organic and complete way. In particular, an original study is presented, conducted in Italy, which implements the work of McConnell & Boyce (2012, Knowledge of Refuge Areas in the Evacuation of Multi-Storey Buildings: The End Users' Perspectives. In: Proceedings 5th International Human Behavior in Fire Symposium, Downing College Cambridge, UK, Interscience Communications, pp 410-422) to investigate the level of knowledge that occupants with reduced mobility have about the Area of ​​refuge, as well as their related concerns, expectations and availability to use that place. The results confirm that there is still a large percentage of occupants with disabilities who are unaware of the presence and use of Area of refuge and that it is currently designed in a way that does not match their expectations. This document suggests that the current design of many Area of Refuge should therefore be questioned and rethought and is one of the first Italian studies that have addressed the relationship between inclusive design and fire design by providing original data, useful for evaluating effectiveness. of the calm space and for its correct design, but also management within the evacuation plans. The paper was accepted for publication and published in Proceedings del 6th International Symposium on Human Behaviour in Fire 2015, Human Behaviour in Fire, tenuto nei giorni 28-29-30 Settembre 2015, presso il Downing College, Cambridge, UK.