University of Greenwich - Computers aid fire-safety project

More lives could be saved in fires and other emergencies around the world, thanks to a new research project to develop reliable computer models of the way in which individuals and crowds behave in a crisis. Ed Galea, from the University of Greenwich, and a team of international colleagues have won a grant of EUR2 million (£1.59 million) from the European Union. Greenwich has a EUR500,000 share of the funding, the largest research budget of the eight partners in the project team. The findings will be used to help design safer buildings and develop safer emergency procedures. In this study, Professor Galea, an expert in fire-safety engineering, will compare how people behave when fleeing from emergencies in seven different countries.