An Analysis of Fire Assembly Point using Information Entropy Weight and TOPSIS

Abstract

In this research, we analyze the suitability of the fire assembly point using the multi-criteria decision analysis technique for a case study of the home appliance factory. The case study comprises of 4 possible assembly points and 5 buildings that may be the start of fire. Initially, we evaluate the relative weight of seven key criteria deemed important for the selection of the fire assembly point, which are 1) the distance between a working area under fire and an assembly point, 2) the capacity of an assembly point, 3) the distance between harmful fire sources and an assembly point, 4) the distance between an exit of the factory area and an assembly point, 5) the width of the main road connected to an assembly point, 6) the number of possible routes connected to an assembly point, and 7) the distance between a medical room and an assembly point. The Information Entropy Weight technique is then used to evaluate the criteria weight based on the intensity of available data. Our analysis shows that the most important criterion is the distance between an exit of the factory area and an assembly point, whereas the width of the main road connected to an assembly point is the least important criterion. Next, we analyze four possible assembly points using the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and find that the second assembly point being an area in front of the cafeteria close to the guard house of the case study is the best alternative. The results from this study can be applied to fire evacuation planning and to selection problems for muster points of other facilities.