Accommodating perceptions of risk in performance-based building fire safety code development

Differing perceptions of risk by various stakeholders have long played a role in influencing the development of prescriptive-based building fire safety codes. As performance-based building fire safety codes are developed, differing perceptions of risk will continue to be a significant influence. In this paper, the concepts of revealed preference, risk factors, risk adjustment factors and risk conversion factors are discussed, and two methods to address risk perceptions in a performance-based building fire safety code are introduced. The first method proposes the use of risk factors to classify buildings in terms such as low, medium, and high risk. Each class of building would be assigned a risk adjustment factor. Similar to safety factors, risk adjustment factors would be applied during deterministic building fire safety design to provide an increased level of safety in buildings where the risk perceptions would mandate greater safety. The second method would be used with a probabilistic-based building fire safety design approach, and uses risk factors to develop risk conversion factors (RCFs). In the probabilistic approach, a maximum expected-risk-to-life (ERL) value would be established by the code, with appropriate RCFs being applied to adjust maximum ERL values depending on how the building's fire safety risk is perceived.