The events of September 11, 2001 have shocked the public imagination regarding the safety of highrise buildings. Prior to these events, the reluctance to evacuate upon hearing the fire alarm signal was regularly observed in highrise buildings. Following the tragic events of September 11, many highrises were totally evacuated on minimal cues. The perception of risk seems to have been heightened right after the event but will this condition last over time? Highrise buildings are seldom meant to be totally evacuated. The strategy used instead is phased evacuation or a protect-in-place approach. Today during an emergency, are highrise building occupants prepared to stay in and wait to be instructed before leaving the building? Studies should investigate the risk perceived by highrise building occupants since September 11 and how these perceptions might change over time. Further studies should compare highrise occupant intention of response during an emergency and actual response through unannounced drills. Authorities, architects and engineers need these findings in order to appropriately design buildings, fire safety systems, training materials and instructions provided to occupants during an emergency. Background The content of this paper was greatly inspired by discussions with different colleagues, particularly with Drs. Rita Fahy, Brian Meacham and Jim Flynn. In partnership with these scientists, a study proposal was submitted in December 2001 for a Small Grant for Exploratory Research Proposal to the National Science Foundation (Fahy et al., 2001). Although the proposal was unsuccessful at the time, the questions and variables tackled are still of the utmost importance for the future of fire safety in highrise structures. Consequently, these issues are reiterated her...

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This paper reports on the findings of a piece of research work aimed at investigating and analysing the impact of