Abstract Fires in postpartum care centers pose significant risks to the safety of mothers and newborns, highlighting the need for effective egress safety evaluation. This study proposes a systematic method for assessing egress safety based on the Egress Safety Ratio in postpartum care center buildings. Fire simulations were conducted to analyze the correlation between fire environment factors (e.g., temperature, toxic gases) and available safe egress time, which served as the foundation for constructing a comprehensive database. Using this database, an artificial neural network-based real-time prediction model was developed, enabling the identification of safe egress routes under various fire scenarios. Additionally, an integrated system for quantitatively evaluating Egress Safety Ratio was established. The reliability of the proposed model was validated by comparing fire simulation results with artificial neural network-based predictions using different postpartum care center floor plans, demonstrating good agreement and confirming its accuracy and effectiveness in evaluating and improving egress safety. The proposed model is expected to serve as a valuable tool for enhancing fire safety in postpartum care centers. Similar content being viewed by others Data availability The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. References Cha, J. H. & Choi, K. A study on improvement plans for the development of disaster safety manual for postpartum care centers. Korean J. Hazard. Mater.. https://doi.org/10.31333/kihm.2021.9.2.41 (2021). Darkhanbat, K., Heo, I., Kim, K. S. & Choi, S-H. Egress safety for STUDIO residential buildings. Buildings. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14092901 (2024). Tseng, W. W., Pan, K. H. & Hsu, C. M. Performance-based fire safety design for existing small-scale hospitals. Procedia Eng. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2011.04.690 (2011). Kodur, V., Jha, A. & Lajnef, N. Critical egress parameters governing assisted evacuation in hospital buildings. Fire. https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7030085 (2024). Lee, J-W., Jin, S-H., Kim, S-K. & Kwon, Y-J. Basic study for improving the fire