Black
is Regent Professor Emeritus at the George W. Woodruff School of
Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology
(Atlanta). Reach him at william.black@me.gatech.edu.
With
advanced strategies and software, total evacuation need not be the
last word(s) in life safety strategy. The size and role of elevator
shafts, selective pressurization, and the ability to evaluate
multiple reactions quickly may combine to form a safer and swifter
reaction to the threat of flames and smoke.