This work discusses the research methods associated with the study of human behaviour in emergency situations. The main topic under consideration is the decision-making process during discrete choices concerning fire evacuations. Methodological approaches about data collection on the decision-making process during fire emergencies are reviewed, namely Stated Preference (SP) and Revealed Preference (RP) and a combination of them (SP-off-RP). The pros and cons of these approaches and a cross comparison between them in the context of the research methods in use (i.e. VR experiment, evacuation drills, case studies, etc.) for the study of human behaviour in fire are proposed.