Safety Emergency Science (SES) releases first issue (2025, Volume 1, Issue 1)

Safety Emergency Science (SES), China’s first international academic journal dedicated to safety and emergency science and technology, has officially launched its debut issue (Volume 1, Issue 1) in March 2025. Co-founded by the China Association of Work Safety (CAWS) and Tsinghua University, and published by Tsinghua University Press, the journal aims to build a global academic exchange platform for the safety and emergency field. The inaugural issue features an editorial, three review articles, and three research articles, covering frontier topics such as fire risk assessment, disaster emergency planning, and AI-enabled emergency technology upgrading, providing valuable insights for academia, industry, and policymakers.

Content Overview of Volume 1, Issue 1

EDITORIAL

Letter from the Editor-in-Chief of Safety Emergency Science

• Author: Tiechui Zhao (Editor-in-Chief of SES)
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.26599/SES.2025.9590005

As the journal’s inaugural editorial, this article elaborates on the strategic significance of the safety and emergency field in global development, clarifies the journal’s founding mission of promoting academic innovation and practical application, and outlines future research directions to address key challenges in the field.

REVIEW ARTICLES

(1) Review of Fire Risk Assessment Methods at Subway Stations

• Author: Junfeng Chen
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.26599/SES.2025.9590001

This review systematically categorizes fire risk assessment methods for subway stations into three types: prescriptive-based, performance-based, and personnel risk-based. It integrates microscopic refined analysis and macroscopic generalizable perspectives, highlighting core technologies such as Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), fuzzy theory, and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The prescriptive-based method relies on pre-determined fixed criteria; the performance-based method adopts an individual-scale parameter system; and the personnel risk-based method focuses on minimizing occupant exposure to untenable environments through ASET/RSET (Available Safe Egress Time/Required Safe Egress Time) analysis and pedestrian simulation.

(2) Recent Advances in Disaster Emergency Response Planning: Integrating Optimization, Machine Learning, and Simulation

• Authors: Fan Pu, Zihao Li, Yifan Wu, Chaolun Ma, Ruonan Zhao
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.26599/SES.2025.9590007

This article summarizes the latest progress in integrating optimization models, machine learning, and simulation technologies into disaster emergency response planning. It covers multiple disaster scenarios (hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, floods) and key application areas, including evacuation management, facility location, casualty transport, search and rescue, and relief material distribution, providing a comprehensive overview of interdisciplinary technological integration in the field.

(3) Overview of the Current Status of Fire Safety Laws and Regulations in China

• Author: Kaiwen Wei
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.26599/SES.2025.9590006

This review systematically combs through China’s fire safety legal and regulatory framework, including core documents such as the Work Safety Law, Regulations on Work Safety Permits, Safety Training Regulations of Production and Operation Units, and Safety Production Law Enforcement Procedures. It presents the current status of industry supervision mechanisms and law enforcement systems, offering a reference for understanding China’s safety management system.

RESEARCH ARTICLES

(1) Enabling the Upgrading of Security Emergency Technology in the AI Era

• Author: Yong Shang
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.26599/SES.2025.9590003

Focusing on the modernization of emergency management capabilities, this study proposes a multi-dimensional innovation system for safety and emergency technology upgrading in the AI era. Key components include monitoring and early warning systems, intelligent emergency equipment, smart emergency command platforms, policy support, and talent training. It covers applications such as “emergency brain” for intelligent decision-making, urban-rural safety monitoring, and internet-of-things (IoT)-enabled emergency equipment, providing a roadmap for technological innovation in the field.

(2) City-Scale Fire Risk Modeling Based on Spatial Regression Methods

• Authors: Hanchao Ma, Xiaoxiao Sun, Jinlong Zhao
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.26599/SES.2025.9590002

This research constructs a city-scale fire risk model using spatial regression methods, integrating vulnerability factors such as population, economy, buildings, and natural meteorological characteristics. Through comparative analysis of Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), Spatial Lag Model (SLM), and Spatial Error Model (SEM), the study realizes accurate mapping and prediction of fire characteristics. The model undergoes rigorous validation (t-test, goodness-of-fit analysis) to ensure reliability, providing technical support for urban fire risk management and planning.

(3) Adaptive Path Planning for Arriving at Firelines in Dynamic Wildfires and Complex Landscapes

• Authors: Zeren Gesang, Bo Yu, Jiasong Zhu, Wenyu Jiang
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.26599/SES.2025.9590004

Targeting the challenges of fire-fighting path planning in dynamic wildfire scenarios and complex terrains, this study integrates wildfire spread models, Wildfire-Personnel Interaction (WPI) models, and travel rate models (considering land cover types and slope gradients) to develop an adaptive path planning scheme. The model optimizes routes based on real-time wildfire spread and environmental data, providing scientific support for improving the efficiency and safety of fire-fighting and rescue operations.

Journal Introduction

Safety Emergency Science (SES) is the first international academic journal in China focusing exclusively on safety and emergency science and technology. With Tiechui Zhao as Editor-in-Chief and a distinguished editorial board consisting of experts from academia, industry, and international organizations (e.g., the International Labour Organization, European Institute for Risk and Resilience Management), the journal covers a wide range of topics:

Mine safety, chemical safety, fire safety, traffic safety, marine safety, power grid safety, underground space safety, occupational safety, production safety, clean energy safety, industrial chain safety, infrastructure safety, safety planning, accident emergency response, disaster emergency response, emergency evacuation, emergency disposal, international rescue for natural disasters, emergency policies and regulations, and AI applications in safety and emergency.

Key Features:

• Fully open access (OA) and published online via the SciOpen platform, ensuring global accessibility.
• Co-founded by CAWS and Tsinghua University, bridging academia, industry, and policy-making.
• International promotion through channels such as WeChat official account, email alerts, and EurekAlert!.

Contact Information:

• Journal Homepage: https://www.sciopen.com/journal/3079-501X
• Submission Portal: https://mc03.manuscriptcentral.com/safems
• Editorial Office Email: safetyemergsci@gmail.com

Call for Papers for Special Issues

SES is now calling for papers for two special issues, inviting global scholars to contribute cutting-edge research:

1. Special Issue: AI Application in Fire Safety

• Submission Deadline: June 31, 2026
• Topics Include (but not limited to):

(1) Fire prevention measures in industrial parks, renewable energy systems, and urban systems.

(2) Combustion dynamics of pool fires, leakage fires, renewable energy fires (battery fires, photovoltaic fires), new material fires, and building fires.

(3) Advanced fire-fighting technologies.

(4) Fire risk assessment and fire safety management systems.

2. Special Issue: Fire Safety in Urban Underground Space

• Submission Deadline: November 30, 2026
• Topics Include (but not limited to):

(1) Fire dynamics and combustion characteristics in confined underground environments.

(2) Design, evaluation, and optimization of fire protection engineering systems.

(3) Performance of fire detection and alarm systems in complex underground layouts.

(4) Intelligent fire-fighting equipment and real-time decision support systems.

(5) Smoke and toxicity control strategies for underground buildings.

(6) Evacuation route planning and crowd management in emergencies.

(7) Emergency response and public safety for underground fires.

Submission Guidelines:

• Manuscripts must comply with academic standards, including title, abstract, keywords, main text, and references.
• Detailed format requirements and the manuscript template (“SES_Manuscript Template_2025.docx”) are available in the “For Authors” section of the journal homepage.
• All submissions must be made through the official submission portal: https://mc03.manuscriptcentral.com/safems.

Safety Emergency Science (SES) is committed to fostering academic exchange and technological innovation in the global safety and emergency field. We welcome scholars, researchers, and practitioners worldwide to contribute high-quality research and join us in advancing the development of safety and emergency science and technology!