A Cloud-Enabled Building and Fire Emergency Evacuation Application

Mobile devices and applications designed to assist people during emergencies are becoming more common, but their utility depends heavily on the availability of network and appropriate services. This article presents the rescue worker interface (RWI), a cloud-based service to support fire wardens in the event of a building fire emergency and to assist them in carrying out evacuation tasks in a timely, efficient, reliable, and collaborative manner. Fire wardens equipped with handheld devices can monitor and control building systems in real time via the cloud. Specifically, they can view building evacuation status, fire evolution, building occupancy, and the location of other fire wardens. These capabilities provide them greater control and situational awareness to face the emergency and manage the building egress with reduced risks.