Divergent/Convergent
Activity
Summary
Report



 In
order
to
better
understand
the
factors
that
influence
the
safety
of
people
during
a
mass

evacuation,
our
group
participated
in
a
brainstorming
activity,
divergent
and
convergent
thinking.

To
do

so
each
person
in
our
group
put
all
the
factors
they
could
think
of
onto
post‐it
notes
(one
factor
per

post‐it)
and
placed
them
on
a
wall.

After
participants
were
unable
to
think
of
anymore
factors,
we

reviewed
each
others’
ideas.

This
review
spurred
new
ideas
for
each
participant
as
we
continued
to

populate
the
wall
with
additional
post‐it
notes.

After
about
20
minutes
the
wall
was
filled
with
126

different
factors
that
compromise
the
safety
of
evacuees.




 After
our
brainstorming
period
ended,
we
reviewed
the
ideas
on
each
post‐it.

Since
many
of
the

ideas
were
similar,
we
grouped
the
post‐its
into
categories
(converged).

The
nine
separate
categories
of

factors
that
compromise
the
safety
of
evacuees
are
included
in
the
diagram
below.

Within
each
of
these

separate
categories,
there
are
multiple
factors
that
compromise
safety
during
evacuations.

These
are

shown
on
the
next
page.




CondiJon
of


 Auduience

Pre‐Event


 CondiJon
of

Planning
 Audience


 Post‐Event



 Nature
of
the
 General

Event
 Audience

Factors
that
influence
the


 safety
of
people
during
a

mass
evacuaJon





 Outside
 QualiJes
of

Environment
 Audience






QualiJes
of


 Emergency

Venue




 Planning
 Emergency
 Outside
Environment

• Theft
 • Lighting

• Pre‐existing
evacuation
plans
 • Independent
events

• Weather

• 

Number
of
safety
precautions
 • Severity
of
events

• Number
of
people

• Number
of
people

 • Event
ongoing
with
evacuation

• • Geographic
location

• 
 IT
Alerts
 
 Additional
events
after
the
original

• Fire
present
 • Transportation
stopped

• 
 Nature
of
event


 • Time
as
a
factor
of
survival
 • Animals

• 
 Type
of
event

• Utilities
functioning
 • Ability
for
people
to
disperse
outside

• Misdirection

• Conflicting
information
 • External
threats

• 

Knowing
why
 • Shockwave
effects

• Temperature

• Quality
of
evacuation
instructions
 • Trying
to
find
alternatives
means
of


 escape
 • Environment

• Emerging
leaders

• Nature
of
the
emergency
 • Time
of
the
day

• Coordination
of
evacuation


 • Outside
the
venue
emergencies

• Prior
incident

• Biological
outbreak

• Training
level
of
first
responders

• 

Emergency
response
time

Qualities
of
the
Audience
 • Media
attention


 • Is
there
immediate
danger?

• Disruption/non‐compliance

• Age
 • What
happens
once
outside?

• 

Former
incident
influencing



negatively
 • Number
of
people

Condition
of
 • Sobriety



• Attribution
(knowing
why
event

Audience
Pre‐

 Event
 Nature
of
Event

occurred)


 • Aliens

• Drunk
 • Pyrotechnics


 • Zombies

• Mood
 •

 • Children

Actions
of
performers

• Injuries
 • Loud


 • Illusion
of
fear

• Hospital
patients


 • Planned
spectaculars

• Temperament
of
people

• Visual
impairments


 
 • Type
of
people
at
event
 • Screaming

• Language
barriers
 • Normal
crowding

Condition
of
 
 • Mental
state

• Ambient
noises


 • Perceived
aspects
of
event

Audience
Post‐Event
 • Mob
mentality


 • Speech

• Handicap

• 

Inability
to
receive
 • Rock
concert

alert
 • Clothing



• Harm
by
accessory
 • Pre‐existing
medical
conditions


 •
• mood

Survival
of
the
fittest
 

• Is
there
more
to

worry
about?
 

General
Audience

Qualities
of
the
Venue
 
 • Going
back
for
things

• Photographer/spectator

• Marked
pathways
 • 

Common
knowledge
of
exits
 • Taking
belongings

• Lighting
 • Value
of
assets
within
building
 • People
screaming

• Time
available
to
escape
safely
 • Outdated
signs


 • Special
Olympics


• Structural
integrity
of
the
building
 • Effectiveness
of
fire
suppression
systems
 • Natural
sounds
perception



• Evacuation
compromised
building
integrity
 • Transportation
 • Looting

• Former
incidence
influencing
decision
positively
 • Creating
own
exits
 • Spectators



• Location
in
the
building
 • Electricity
 • Perception
of
dancer

• Placement
of
exits
 • Ability
for
emergency
people
to
enter
 • Fear




• Presence
of
obstacles
 • Blockage
of
exits
 • Panic

• Failure
of
alarm
system
 • Are
the
floors
wet?
 • Unwilling
to
leave



• Electrocution

 • Availability
of
exits
 • Mood

• Pathways
to
exits
 • Size
of
exits
 • Running
towards/into

• Type
of
building
 • Number
of
exits
 evacuation

• Number
of
people
involved
 • Inadequate
exit
signs

 • Stopping
to
help

• Loud
alarm
 • alarms
 • Over‐confidence