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Dear Colleagues,
I am reviewing a forensic case study of a 1960s residential tower (17 stories) where the evacuation strategy is being shifted from “Stay Put” to “Simultaneous Evacuation” to remove Waking Watch patrols.
I am seeking feedback on the viability of this strategy given three specific infrastructure constraints that seem to create a deterministic failure mode:
1. The “Sealed Tomb” Geometry (No Vertical Vent): The central stairwell is a sealed concrete shaft with no vertical AOV or roof vent. While there are AOVs located at the ends of the residential corridors, they are not connected to the fire alarm system, rendering them ineffective for automated smoke control during the critical pre-evacuation phase.
2. The Detection Void (Rate of Rise): The building relies on Rate of Rise (ROR) Heat Detectors (set to ~58°C) rather than smoke detection to reduce false alarms. * The Risk: In scenarios involving cladding or smouldering fires (producing cold, toxic smoke), the stairwell is likely to fill with effluent before the thermal threshold triggers the alarm.
The Result: Vulnerable residents are signalled to evacuate only after the egress route has already lost tenability.
3. The “Bottle Effect” & Jamming: Without a roof vent to relieve pressure, smoke entering the stairwell stratifies and fills “top-down” (the Bottle Effect). Combined with the “granular jamming” expected when ~350 residents attempt to enter a single 1-meter stairwell simultaneously, the model predicts a static queue forming inside a smoke-filled tube.
My Question: Has this community seen any justification for retaining ROR detection in a high-rise “Simultaneous Evacuation” scenario? It appears that by the time the alarm sounds, the lack of vertical venting and the density of the queue will have already created a fatal trap.
I welcome any thoughts on the interplay between disconnected AOVs and queue formation in legacy stock.
Best regards,
Kevin Onions
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