ORLANDO, Fla. -- How can the public be better alerted on how to evacuate before firefighters are forced to risk their own live in order to do so?
That is the question Erica Kuligowski from the National Institute of Standards and Technology posed yesterday to attendees at the opening day of the Suppression and Detection Research and Applications Symposium (SUPDET) in Orlando, Fla.
During her presentation, she referred research gain from a workshop on mass notification messages NIST held early last year with participants from 12 federal agencies. They discussed different perspectives and ideas dealing with the dissemination of information during emergencies and compared the different types of alert systems used by each agency.
"How can we put together better messages, better dissemination techniques so we can have people do what we want them to?" she said. "We're moving forward with the codes and we're moving forward with the technology."
Kuligowski said that following the workshop, it was determined that further research is needed considering newer web-based mobile technology that takes into account the limitations those platforms have. For example, text messages have a maximum character length.
It is important for firefighters and other first responders to be involved in this process and know what information they need to deliver, she said, because often times they are the first ones delivering the message.
Another issue isn't just how the information is delivered, but what message is delivered, according to Kuligowski.
She said it is important to have a specific message repeated several times with external cues confirming the message.
"No matter the individual's cues -- if these things are done -- those don't mean as much," she sad, noting that there needs to be well-crafted, evidence-based messages.
According to her research, those individual cues often play a role in how a message is received, which can affect the outcome during an emergency,
The workshop group discussed what pushes people to follow a message. They concluded that demographics, roles and experience all play a part.
As an example of experience playing a factor in decision making, she pointed out that some of the occupants during 9/11 who were also in one of the towers during the 1993 World Trade Center bombing reported doing what they remembered doing during the first attack.
"People look for the cues, but they may not see them at first. 'I don't see a rain cloud so there must not be a storm coming,' for example," she said. "That's why it's so important to have a repetitive message."
Kuligowski said that the message a mass notification system disseminates can mean the difference between life and death and that everything must be done to make sure the correct information is given.
"Injuries and deaths can occur by using this system improperly," she said.
In some cases, inaccurate information is given. While studying a 2008 high-rise fire, Kuligowski found that occupants were sent to the fire floor. Luckily for them, they were instructed to continue to evacuate the building once they were there.
Other times, civilians are given conflicting information. During 9/11, which Kuligowski has studied extensively, occupants from the second tower saw significant cues from the first tower signaling danger, but were told to stay on their floors.
"Some of the information led to their untimely deaths," she said.
Uncertain information -- information that doesn't notify people what to do with it -- can also be harmful.
"Alert colors, levels and warnings don't give the public enough information," she said.
On the other end of the spectrum, too much information can also be a bad thing. In the age of e-mail, Twitter, Facebook and other social networking tools, if too much information disseminated, the public can lose a sense of what is important, Kuligowski said.
"It's not enough to just give information, it has to be the right information," she said. "Messages are important."
About the Author
Paul Peluso
Staff Writer
Paul Peluso is a Firehouse.com staff writer and has worked for the Web site since 2006. Previously, he worked as a reporter for several community newspapers located in the suburbs of Baltimore, Md. Since joining the newsteam, Paul has covered various fire service issues including fire sprinklers, grants, line of duty deaths and technology. While he started out at the Beltsville, Md. office, he has since moved to Florida where he works out of his home office in Tampa.