Ergonomic Society annual conference. Personal story of how people acted when the coach we were on caught fire.

1. Tel: (+44) 01492 879813 Mob: (+44) 07984 284642
andy@abrisk.co.uk
www.abrisk.co.uk
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A consultant’s experience of being in
a fire
Andy Brazier

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Purpose of my presentation
Tell you about my experience
Explain the human behaviours I observed during
and after the event
Communicate learning points
Human factors/ergonomists
Users of public transport
Parents, teachers and responsible adults.

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School trip to watch rugby

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Afternoon match

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The journey home
Liberty Stadium
Port Talbot
Strange smell
Smoke in coach
I speak to driver

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Why didn’t we tell the driver to stop?
Smell was strong/unpleasant
Did not recognise it
Must be coming from outside.

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The source of the smell?

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Why didn’t I make the driver stop
Could not smell it at front
Gauges all healthy
Driver said he would stop at services

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Smoke

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Why didn’t we know what to do?
Driver had given a briefing before setting off
We all knew there was an emergency exit
Didn’t know how to open it
High above the ground
Exit on offside of coach onto live carriageway
We knew we could break a window
Even worse option
Main door has to be the main option.

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How did we get away safely?
The coach was not full
The isles were clear
It was daylight
Most people were awake
Everyone was sober
Adults sat near the back to help the kids get off
Adults at front took kids to safe location.

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You can learn a lot about an accident
without knowing its cause
For example, I have seen first hand that
Smoke is a killer
It fills an enclosed space very quickly
You can get a lot of smoke without a visible fire
We expect someone to take command without
any evidence of their ability to do so
Coach driver
Headmaster
Emergency services.

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More learnings
We assume we know what to do an emergency
Your brain works differently in an emergency
situation
Loss of situational awareness – location of coach
Overwhelmed by options – which exit to use
Until we go through the actions we don’t really
know what to do.

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Not all bad news

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