Includes bibliographic information.

Chapter 1 -- Human behavior as it pertains to fire incidents -- Chapter 2 -- Trusting research and putting faith in what it tells us -- Chapter 3 -- A systems approach to fire related human behavior -- Chapter 4 -- Fire safety design and fire investigation -- Appendix A -- Short staffing: a Congressional priority -- Ap. B -- Risk perception and security bars -- Ap. C -- A strong preference for using familiar routes to escape and reentry behavior. "The basic premise of this book is that design should be human-centered because it humancentered design that provides for the information that people need to adapt to the chaotic and uncertain way that fire develops." Attempts to show how this research cna be applied to staffing levels, hiring and promotion, budget allocation, and more. Includes examples from New York City.