Integrating Diverse Perspectives for Safer Fire Designs: The Case for Convergence Research

ABSTRACT

A narrow view of fire safety often overlooks the complex web of factors that shape the real‐world risks for building occupants, community members, people in temporary shelter, and those without housing. Many studies examine individual components of fire safety, such as fire hazards, building performance, and human behavior. However, there has been limited interrogation of the complex interactions between the fire hazard, building (shelter), and human factors, with even less including the social and cultural components. Research that crosses these boundaries in a suitably joined‐up way is scarce. Ignoring these intersections often leads to siloed fire safety interventions that fail to capture the dynamic and systemic nature of fire risk, perpetuating the lack of interdisciplinarity and representation in the fire safety field. Traditional multi‐ or interdisciplinary approaches often struggle to overcome disciplinary boundaries or institutional constraints, resulting in continued siloed understanding of the fire problem. This paper argues that a convergence approach, one that fosters collaboration across technical, social, and human‐centered domains, is essential for understanding and addressing fire risk holistically. We take the first steps towards outlining such a framework by drawing on a case study of fire risk in buildings and shelters. Through this example we show how different perspectives can be brought together to capture the complexity of fire safety challenges, proposing a clear direction for developing integrated, equitable, and more effective approaches to fire risk reduction.