How to be Prepared for a Shooter
In the middle of the summer 5 years ago, right around midnight, a group of friends and I entered the Mall of Georgia theater to watch the premier of "The Dark Knight Rises." It was an amazing experience full of popcorn, candy, and people dressed up as their favorite characters. As we left the theater, we turned our phones back on and reality took over. Many states away, a shooter entered a theater similar to the one we had just left, and opened fire on the crowd. That night is one that I will never forget. It was too close and too real of a feeling that people had been in a movie theater just as I had and ended up losing their lives. That next morning, as the news coverage of the event played in the background, my mom wanted to talk to my brothers and I about something important; how to be prepared for a shooter.
Since that day, my mom has stressed the importance of knowing where your exits are in any given environment. Sometimes in the movie theater before the movie starts, she will lean over and whisper, "there are two emergency exits at the bottom of the screen, one behind us to the left, plus the one we walked in through." After several years of identifying exits with her, I know do so on my own in college. I do not normally think much of this habit until I was watching the news talk about the Las Vegas shooting and why people struggled to leave the concert area.
I read on a news article somewhere that one of the issues with the Las Vegas shooting was that the concert area is in the shape of a giant rectangle. At the beginning of the show, people were only allowed to enter through the gates on the side that face the hotel where the shooter was residing. When the shooting began and people tried to run and exit the same way that they entered and ended up running towards the gun fire. What most patrons did not know was that on the other side of the rectangle were three additional exits that lead away from the spray of bullets.
Perhaps in the world we are living in today, it might be best if we start treating big gatherings, movie theaters, etc. like we treat airplanes. Similar to the pre-take-off safety run through of pointing to the emergency windows, events should begin with an instructor telling people where the exits are located and even where medical care is located. However, until this happens, it is upon individuals to be prepared.
Experts agree that recognizing possible exits is a key step that people can take in preparing for an emergency situation. At a minimum, experts say to identify at least two exits, so that if one becomes blocked or is unsafe to get to, you have a second plan. Next time you are going out to see a concert or to watch a movie, or even going to class, take a second and identify your exits. Talk to your friends about "what if" scenarios and discuss what your response would be if you found yourself in danger. The more we discuss it, the better prepared we are to respond in an actual emergency. Experts also recommend having a meet-up spot where you and your family or friends go to if something were to happen. Talk to your friends about it and get them involved, discuss a safe spot where you can meet if something ever happened on campus.
Since that day, my mom has stressed the importance of knowing where your exits are in any given environment. Sometimes in the movie theater before the movie starts, she will lean over and whisper, "there are two emergency exits at the bottom of the screen, one behind us to the left, plus the one we walked in through." After several years of identifying exits with her, I know do so on my own in college. I do not normally think much of this habit until I was watching the news talk about the Las Vegas shooting and why people struggled to leave the concert area.
I read on a news article somewhere that one of the issues with the Las Vegas shooting was that the concert area is in the shape of a giant rectangle. At the beginning of the show, people were only allowed to enter through the gates on the side that face the hotel where the shooter was residing. When the shooting began and people tried to run and exit the same way that they entered and ended up running towards the gun fire. What most patrons did not know was that on the other side of the rectangle were three additional exits that lead away from the spray of bullets.
Perhaps in the world we are living in today, it might be best if we start treating big gatherings, movie theaters, etc. like we treat airplanes. Similar to the pre-take-off safety run through of pointing to the emergency windows, events should begin with an instructor telling people where the exits are located and even where medical care is located. However, until this happens, it is upon individuals to be prepared.
Experts agree that recognizing possible exits is a key step that people can take in preparing for an emergency situation. At a minimum, experts say to identify at least two exits, so that if one becomes blocked or is unsafe to get to, you have a second plan. Next time you are going out to see a concert or to watch a movie, or even going to class, take a second and identify your exits. Talk to your friends about "what if" scenarios and discuss what your response would be if you found yourself in danger. The more we discuss it, the better prepared we are to respond in an actual emergency. Experts also recommend having a meet-up spot where you and your family or friends go to if something were to happen. Talk to your friends about it and get them involved, discuss a safe spot where you can meet if something ever happened on campus.
Comments
Post a Comment