Effects of an engaging maintenance task on fire evacuation delays and presence in virtual reality

The current study aims to investigate the capability of occupants of a powerhouse simulation to sense a fire and initiate evacuation while engaged with a task. For this reason, the study involved the maintenance task of replacing the air filter of a gas-powered engine through a series of in-structions. The virtual reality-based accident causation model (VR-ACM) consisting of 3D model -ing and simulation, accident causation, and safety training was adapted to address the study's aims. Two groups of participants were immersed in the virtual realm as occupants of the power-house to determine the pre-movement time and the evacuation duration under distinct scenarios. The first scenario constituted the experimental group (n = 26), who were assigned to replace the filters, while the second scenario (control n = 26) performed no task before the fire outbreak. An independent samples t-test revealed a significant difference in the pre-movement time of the groups, which suggested a decline in the perception of the experimental group due to the task. Further assessment revealed a consequential transfer of the delay at the pre-movement phase to the evacuation delay of the experimental group from the powerhouse. Secondly, the differences in interactivity implied that the experimental group exhibited a higher level of involvement and dis-traction in the Presence measurement than the control group. To this end, a virtual reality (VR) en-vironment's performance and real-time functionality during a maintenance task simulation have been experimented with in an emergency fire evacuation scenario to ascertain safety concerns.

Automated summary

The study investigates the ability of occupants in a virtual reality environment to sense fires and initiate evacuations during maintenance tasks. Results showed a decrease in perceptual ability and delayed evacuation in the experimental group due to task execution.