Interim: Team number: 1056
School name: Santa Fe Indian School
Area of Science: Computer Science
Project title: A Hazard Situation During a Fire Evacuation

Problem definition:
The fire alarms sounds and one hundred and forty-eight girls exit out of the Santa Fe Indian School (SFIS) High School Dormitory through one single doorway. Residents of first, second, and third floor depart through a solo stairway. Although the hallway and interior stairway are lit, outside the building structure the escape route is dark and partially paved. With a sidewalk that leads nowhere, the girls are prone to tripping, and colliding with other girls who are straining their eyes to see the surrounding environment. Along with about one hundred and fifty students, we reside in the dormitory throughout the entire week and concern about the efficiency of the fire evacuation route.
Problem Solution:
By modeling the “chaos” of forcing seventy-two girls from three different floors through one door, the StarLogo results will identify the potential accidents that are expected to happen. Our turtles will try to shove their way through the small space we provide them, with a percentage amount will be injured. The percent of turtles that will be injured will be determined by the equation:
(# of girls who’ve had accidents)÷( # of fire drills practiced in the hazardous area).
Progress to Date:
Currently, the Head of Security, Guy Monroe, has collected three fire drill records, which we plan to use for reference. The data in these reports are based on the number of students present during the fire drill and the safety procedures followed. Reports from the fire drills will assist in the programming of turtles representing—the reaction and the number of students. We are collaborating with Guy to have more fire drills in order program the turtles as accurately as possible.
As for our research on the Internet, we have found several sites stating certain Fire Codes, procedures, and safety settings that have are required in case of a real fire. We have also looked at previous Final Reports from 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 to assist us on programming. Based on the data, we plan to measure the width of the single doorway, the stairway and the hallways in the dormitory. We are still researching at this point, but we feel that we are off to a good start.
Expected Results:
With the information that collected so far, and what we will collect in the near future, we expect the results to confirm the fact that girls residing at the Santa Fe Indian School high school dorms are prone to injury due to the narrow hallways, the single door and the dark rocky path leading to the designated spot for a fire drill evacuation. The final results we expect will confirm that a better route to the designated areas will benefit the well-being of the girls residing in the SFIS high school dorms. We hope the safety of the young ladies will be taken into consideration by the school’s administration, and that a securer, well-lit pathway will be constructed.

Reference:
Guy Monroe. Head Security Officer. Personal Interview: Santa Fe Indian School, 5 Dec. 2006
“Santa Fe Indian School: Fire Drill Record.” [Internal Record] Santa Fe Indian School: Santa Fe,18, Sept. 2006
“Santa Fe Indian School: Fire Drill Record.” [Internal Record] Santa Fe Indian School: Santa Fe,12, Sept. 2006
“Santa Fe Indian School: Fire Drill Record.” [Internal Record] Santa Fe Indian School: Santa Fe, 28, Nov. 2006
Dean, S. Carl. “The Door to Fire Safety.” Security Management. Oct. 1993: 50.
“Evacuation Drills” Safety.com. 5 Dec. 2005emergency_fire_and_ evacuation – Drills>.

Team Members:

  Audrey Tsinnajinnie
  Fantasia Lonjose
  amanda lapahie

Sponsoring Teacher: Mary Neikirk

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