International Journal of Applied Science and Engineering
Published by Chaoyang University of Technology

Chung Sum Leong 1*, See Hung Lau 2*, How Hui Liew 3

1 Department of Surveying, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kajang 43000, Malaysia

2 Department of Civil Engineering, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kajang 43000, Malaysia

3 Department of Mathematical and Actuarial Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kajang 43000, Malaysia

 

Download Citation: |
Download PDF


ABSTRACT

Building fires often result in loss of property and life. Despite existing building fire safety designs, the increasing frequency of fire incidents highlights the need for improvements in fire safety management. This paper presents a conceptual framework for Building Information Modelling (BIM)-based fire safety management, integrating Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) for a three-storey building. The primary objectives are to develop a building BIM model with fire safety compliance checks, conduct a fire simulation using FDS to integrate the results into the BIM model, and test the feasibility of the framework. The framework’s main components are modelling, analysis, data integration, and user education. The BIM model developed using Revit was assessed for fire safety compliance using Dynamo. FDS simulations were concurrently carried out for fire risk assessment in critical scenarios, followed by evacuation route planning. Fire safety results were then integrated into the BIM model. The framework illustrates an effective BIM-based fire safety management platform that incorporates FDS simulation, with fire safety information accessible to building occupants.


Keywords: Building information modelling, fire safety management, fire dynamics simulator


Share this article with your colleagues

 


REFERENCES

  1. Boying, W., Ismail, A.S., Ali, K.N. 2024. Bridging safety and innovation: Integrating building information modelling (BIM) with fire safety evacuation compliance checking process. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, VIII, 3569–3579.

  2. Chi, J.-H. 2013. Reconstruction of an inn fire scene using the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) program. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 58, S227–S234.

  3. Davidson, A., Gales, J. 2021. BIM and Fire Safety Engineering - Overview of State of The Art. International Journal of High-Rise Buildings, 10, 251–263.

  4. Ding, Z., Xu, S., Xie, X., Zheng, K., Wang, D., Fan, J., Li, H., Lioa, L. 2024. A building information modeling-based fire emergency evacuation simulation system for large infrastructures. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 244, 1–15.

  5. Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia, 2024. “Laporan Tahunan 2023”. Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia. Putrajaya. Malaysia.

  6. Habib, M.R., Khan, H., Ahmed, K., Kiran, M.R., Asif, A.K.M., Bhuiyan, M.I., Omar, F. 2019. Quick-fire sensing model and extinguishing by using an Arduino-based fire protection device. Proceeding of the 2019 5th International Conference on Advances in Electrical Engineering (ICAEE), Dhaka, Bangladesh. pp 26–28.

  7. Hackitt, J. 2018. “Building a safer future: Independent review of building regulations and fire safety – Final report”. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. U.K.

  8. Hsu, S.H., Hung, H.T., Lin, Y.Q., Chang, C.M. 2023. Defect inspection of indoor components in buildings using deep learning object detection and augmented reality. Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration, 22, 41–54.

  9. Huang, Y.-H., Chi, J.-H. 2024. Using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) to explore the fire hazard zone of 40-foot energy storage system. Journal of Electrical Systems, 20, 1–8.

  10. Kodur, V., Kumar P., Rafi, M.M. 2020. Fire hazard in buildings: review, assessment and strategies for improving fire safety. PSU Research Review, 4, 1–23.

  11. Lai, C.C., Cao, C.R., Shu, C.M. 2024. Fire accident report verification using fire dynamics simulator: a case study from Chiayi City, Taiwan. Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, 149, 11057–11070.

  12. Legal Research Board. “Uniform Building By-Laws 1984 (Act 194)”. Regulations and Order International Law Book Services. Selangor. Malaysia.

  13. Leong, C.S., Lau, S.H., Liew, H.H., 2025. Conceptual fire risk management framework of building information modeling and fire dynamic simulator. Engineering Proceedings, 91, 1–6.

  14. Li, Z., Huang, H., Li, N., Chu (Zan), M.L., Law, K. 2020. An agent-based simulator for indoor crowd evacuation considering fire impacts. Automation in Construction, 120, 1–20.

  15. Lin, C.S., Yu, C.C., Wang, S.C. 2012. Numerical investigation of fire dynamic behavior for a commercial building basement. Advanced Materials Research, 594–597, 2213–2218.

  16. Madrzykowski, D., Forney, G., Walton, W. 2002. “Simulation of the Dynamics of a Fire in a Two–Story Duplex, Iowa, December 22, 1999”. NIST Interagency/Internal Report 6854. National Institute of Standards and Technology. Gaithersburg. U.S.A.

  17. McGrattan, K., Hostikka, S., Floyd, J., McDermott, R., Marcos, V., Mueller, E., Paul, C. 2025. “Fire Dynamics Simulator User’s Guide”. NIST Special Publication 1019. National Institute of Standards and Technology. Gaithersburg. U.S.A.

  18. Mi, H., Liu Y., Wang, W., Xiao, G. 2020. An integrated method for fire risk assessment in residential buildings. Mathematical Problems in Engineering, 2020, 1–14.

  19. Mirahadi, F., McCabe, B.Y. 2021. EvacuSafe: A real–time model for building evacuation based on Dijkstra's algorithm. Journal of Building Engineering, 34, 1–14.

  20. Morgan, J.H., 2016. “SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering. 5th Edition”. Springer. New York. U.S.A.
  21. Oh, K.E. 2024. A comprehensive investigation of researchers’ shared file management practices in cloud storage. Human–Computer Interaction, 1–20.

  22. Panindre, P., Mousavi, N.S.S., Kumar, S. 2017. Positive Pressure Ventilation for fighting wind–driven high–rise fires: Simulation–based analysis and optimization. Fire Safety Journal, 87, 57–64.

  23. Qin, J., Liu, C., Huang, Q. 2020. Simulation on fire emergency evacuation in special subway station based on Pathfinder. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, 21, 1–7.

  24. Rahardjo, H.A., Prihanton, M. 2020. The most critical issues and challenges of fire safety for building sustainability in Jakarta. Journal of Building Engineering, 29, 1–8.

  25. Sabbaghzadeh, M., Sheikhkhoshkar, M., Saeed, T., Rezazadeh, M., Moghaddam, M.R., Khanzadi, M. 2022. A BIM–based solution for the optimisation of fire safety measures in the building design. Sustainability, 14, 1–32.

  26. Schönfelder, P., Aziz, A., Bosché, F., König, M. 2024. Enriching BIM models with fire safety equipment using keypoint–based symbol detection in escape plans. Automation in Construction, 162, 1–14.

  27. Siddiqui, A.A., Ewer, J.A., Lawrence, P.J., Galea, E.R., Frost, I.R. 2021. Building Information Modelling for performance–based Fire Safety Engineering analysis – A strategy for data sharing. Journal of Building Engineering, 42, 1–14.

  28. Sun, Q., Turkan, Y. 2020. A BIM–based simulation framework for fire safety management and investigation of the critical factors affecting human evacuation performance. Advanced Engineering Informatics, 44, 1–13.

  29. Wehbe, R., Shahrour, I. 2021. A BIM–based smart system for fire evacuation. Future Internet, 13, 1–16.

  30. Wilkinson, P. 2019. “BS 7974–1:2019: Application of fire safety engineering principles to fire safety engineering”. The British Standard Institutions. London. UK.

  31. Yang, Y., Sun, Y., Chen, M., Zhou, Y., Wang, R., Liu, Z. 2022. Platform development of BIM–based fire safety management system considering the construction site. Buildings, 12, 1–20.

  32. Zalok, E., Hadjisophocleous, G.V. 2011. Assessment of the Use of Fire Dynamics Simulator in Performance–Based Design. Fire Technol, 47, 1081–1100.

  33. Zhang, Z., Tan, L., Robert, L.K.T. 2024. Fire emergency management of large shopping malls: IoT–based evacuee tracking and dynamic path optimization. Alexandria Engineering Journal, 107, 652–654.

  34. Zhao, X., Wei, S., Chu, Y., Wang, N. 2023. Numerical Simulation of Fire Suppression in Stilted Wooden Buildings with Fine Water Mist Based on FDS. Buildings, 13, 1–14.

  35. Zou G.W., Chow W.K. 2005. Evaluation of the Field Model, Fire Dynamics Simulator, for a Specific Experimental Scenario. Journal of Fire Protection Engineering, 15, 77–92


ARTICLE INFORMATION

Received: 2025-02-08
Revised: 2025-06-24
Accepted: 2025-07-05
Available Online: 2025-07-30


Cite this article:

Leong, C.S., Lau,S.H., Liew,H.H. 2025.  A BIM-Based conceptual fire safety management framework for building with integration of fire dynamic simulator. International Journal of Applied Science and Engineering, 22, 2025018. https://doi.org/10.6703/IJASE.202506_22(2).006

  Copyright The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are cited.

Other people also read ...

doaj logo

 

2.9
2023CiteScore
 
 
67th percentile
Powered by  Scopus
 
 

SCImago Journal & Country Rank

IJASE - Most Read Articles

IJASE - Most popular articles