you are at a get together and the lights go out

[rockriver]

i know this couldn't happen in america.
but,
just pretend... you were at a huge event with 100,000 of your closest friends at a port city..
and the lights went out.
in the real world it was only half the building. but,
makes me wonder.. what if it had been the whole stadium?

[WiseOwl]

FEMA forgot to pay the light bill!

[protus]

FEMA forgot to pay the light bill!

never........lol

[motesjm]

I took my son to an Auburn game a few years ago and a huge storm blew up. Lighting, high winds, torrential rains. Everyone that could fit packed like sardines into the covered areas under the bleachers, most people were trapped exposed in the stadium or int the grid locked mass under the stands.

Going through my mind at the time was, "I wouldn't leave my cows out in this crap and here I am sitting in the middle of it with my son.". Hell of a survival minded decision.

If someone would have set a bomb on the middle of that field it would have been just the same...trapped like rats.

I won't be in that situation again, promise you that.

[Grand58742]

I took my son to an Auburn game

There's your first mistake :D But you could have been worse by saying a Georgia Bulldogs game instead.

In all seriousness I had the game on and wasn't paying that close of attention at that point (since the score had moved to "yeah, this isn't fun to watch anymore" status) and I realized about a minute in the sportscasters were being very silent even for a game that had moved to beating the brakes off levels. So I took a peek at the screen and wondered why they were showing pictures of the roof when they went to show half the stadium dark. Of course, my first thoughts were far more sinister (Black Sunday anyone?) and still wasn't convinced until the press releases.

But still, does give one pause for thought in creating an action plan for any large area with a large crowd of people and small amount of exits. Stadiums, malls, convention centers, gun shows, etc are just a few of the locations that you can get into these situations at. Just a few rules of thumb I've come up with over the years to remember:

1. Don't panic. Even when those around you are completely losing their minds and screaming like WiseOwl at a Justin Beiber concert, staying calm will increase your chances of not getting hurt and getting out relatively unharmed. Panic tends to spread and your first reaction will probably be panic, but take five seconds to get a grip and start towards your plans you made when you arrived. Which brings point two...

2. Have an escape plan. And a secondary and a tertiary plan. How many exits are near to you, how easy are they to get to and what obstacles do you face along the way? And remembering the standard pre-flight briefing on any airline "keep in mind the nearest exit might be behind you." Have a primary exit, a secondary exit and a tertiary which might be the hardest to get to. And remember how many people will be moving towards those same exits. Now one thing to remember...

2A. The nearest exit might be close to the "danger" area. I.E. if an attack was to take place, sometimes the easiest way out is to move towards that zone before moving to the exit. While fighting crowds isn't wise and could (probably will) get you trampled, your secondary or tertiary escape routes might be closer to the area than a more secure primary. But in the aftermath of an attack, moving towards the affected zone in order to escape might be more wise and quicker.

3. Preparedness doesn't stop at games/gun shows/conventions/Saturday shopping. What items do you carry around all the time that can help? I know lots of folks that carry those keychain LED lights. Utterly useless in a case like last night. But a single cell Surefire type? Or a AA Mag light. Or even those little free AAA doodads from Harbor Freight? Things that are relatively easy to toss into a pocket and forget about until it's really needed. Last night wasn't a good example since half the stadium was still lit, but had the whole thing been dark?

4. Don't panic when your plans aren't working out. Learn to think on the fly and make changes. Is it potentially better sit tight while the remainder of the crowd goes nuts and wait for the stampede to thin? Do you need to keep moving? Is there another avenue of escape you hadn't noticed? What dangers lurk if you wait? What dangers do you face if you continue to move? Critical thinking and the OODA loop needs to be in full force in those times. Remember Murphy, things can and will go wrong when you least expect and don't want them to.

5. Don't hesitate. If you find yourself in the middle of a panicked crowd, don't hesitate when they start moving you whether you want to or not. You can (and often will) get trampled. Sometimes it's better to go with the flow rather than fight the tides. And OODA (that's Observe, Orient, Decide, Act for those wondering) comes in huge during this time as your ultimate goal is to get out of the danger area and frankly out of the secondary danger area known as the crowd.

5A. If you find yourself having to move with the flow of traffic so to speak, start moving towards the edges if you can and look for additional exits and routes of travel. You should especially do so if you are in the front of the crowd. Ever see those movies where folks are trapped and trying to push past the locked gates? Ever wonder what happens to those folks at the front getting smooshed against the gate? Get out of a panicked crowd.

6. Keep in mind if an attack was to happen, the predominate danger is over for the most part. But more people will get hurt by stampeding towards the exits and climbing over everyone as group panic sets in. It's scary as a person is smart, but people are freakin stupid when group panic sets in. And that kind of group fear and panic spreads quickly from the first shriek to the uncontrolled mob moving towards closed exits. Keep a calm head and know the primary danger is over and maintain that calm while others are losing theirs.

Just a few tips to hopefully help.

[tech]

The key to avoiding issues like that is to not put yourself in that position in the first place... ;)

[WiseOwl]

LMAO!!!!


I fainted at the last Beibs show and missed the whole act. Dangit


GO DAWGS!!!!!!

[Chief]

FEMA forgot to pay the light bill!

ROLMAO!!!!

[rockriver]

go dawgs..
and i'd sure want to go to auburn before i'd want to be a okeee.
sometime when you come through the south stop by auburn and look around.
beautiful campus. students are polite. girls are pretty, and classy.
nearly as courteous as at the UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA>


panic,,,
yep... that's what okee dokees do when the admins want their coaches to play anyone in the SEC. but, hey, as si would say... i don't blame em. the smartest thing those ok coaches could do, would be stay away from an sec team.

lol

LOL

[Grand58742]

go dawgs..
and i'd sure want to go to auburn before i'd want to be a okeee.
sometime when you come through the south stop by auburn and look around.
beautiful campus. students are polite. girls are pretty, and classy.
nearly as courteous as at the UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA>


panic,,,
yep... that's what okee dokees do when the admins want their coaches to play anyone in the SEC. but, hey, as si would say... i don't blame em. the smartest thing those ok coaches could do, would be stay away from an sec team.
grand, is that your name, because you are twinkle pinkies on the grand piano?

lol

LOL

Might surprise you, but I'm not a Boomer Sooner.

Vol for Life

[rockriver]

grand,
i tried to make funny....
got to thinking about my comment.
came back to edit it...
you've already seen it.
and found out you was sec!!
i got some family up there in knox co!!
you happen to be an ag major?

you vols have got that rocky top down!!

glad to have you aboard.
i did edit my post...
sometimes i don't understand all the humor that gets passed around.
so, apologies offered.
rr

[Grand58742]

No harm no foul. With the way we played this year (or lack thereof) I deserve a bit of ribbing.

Now back to our scheduled program.

[Bearman202]

I saw yesterday that they're planning on playing the next SuperBowl at Motel 6. At least they'll "Keep the light on for ya!"

[Bama]

Bless you all and Roll Tide !!