Mobile Phone Movement Behavior in Stadia Fire Evacuations

In evacuation modelling there is a lack of data for contemporary spectator movement and egress in stadia fires. Historical film from real stadium fire events is usually limited in camera angle, resolution, too short duration to fully describe the movement process, and too old to represent contemporary demographics and their mivement behaviors. In recent years there has been a rise and dependency on information technologies such as mobile phones in stadiums which may influence the movement process in a fire evacuation of a stadium. As part of a comprehensive research program to study the influence of mobile phones and alcohol on the evacuation of stadiums in emergencies the authors have conducted an analysis of a stadium fire that occurred in Canada in 2022. In this case study, a localized fire occurred in the stadium’s ceiling. The fire first prompted a localized evacuation of the stands due to the fear of falling debris. Later a full evacuation and termination of game was called with the accumulation of smoke. Through a social media search from publicly accessible platforms with institutional ethics, the authors obtained and analyzed 22 available videos of this evacuation. These videos were arranged and mapped chronologically with focus on percent egress with time in relation to events occurring in the stadium with additional study of mobile phone users in pre and eventual movement. The analysis included 118 identified mobile phone users. Their actions were categorized as: talking (phone to ear), texting (hand to phone) and filming (observing into screen). Combinations of these actions were analyzed. These categories where possible were quantified in duration for pre (sitting/standing) and post (moving). Filming actions of the fire were observed in 51% of spectators. The authors will conclude with a first phase conceptual framework for behavior actions of mobile phone users in fire evacuation of stadia which will have use for modelling.