Design of formative evacuation plans using agent-based simulation

The article presents a methodological framework for the design of formative evacuation plans for complex socio-technical systems in crisis. The framework adopts the Complex Adaptive Systems modelling approach, and proposes the agent-based simulation as cognitive tool for the team which designs the plans. The formative evacuation plans, which are developed using the proposed framework, do not prescribe normative procedures but provide recommendations that decrease the problem space of the personnel, and at the same time permit them to adapt to the particularities of the situation at hand. The framework is demonstrated through an application in a metro system, for the case of a flaming train stalled between two stations. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.