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Knowing where your nearest exit is located is a simple common sense thing you can do to increase your safety and the odds of surviving in an emergency. At first, you might have to consciously force yourself to identify exits when you enter a place. But after a while, it just becomes habit. It doesn’t take any more time or make you paranoid. It just makes you aware. Whenever you go into a place, identify exits and note if there is an emergency evacuation plan. (Did you know there was an evacuation plan posted on the back of every hotel room door? Why not take a moment to look it over and identify the routes just in case of a fire or another emergency during your stay?<\/p>\n

Not only will these plans give you the layout of the floor where you are at, but they will also show you important exits and special evacuation protocols. If they are good, they will also show you the location of fire extinguishers, AED and first aid kits, and what numbers to call in case of an emergency. In America we are accustomed to calling 911 for emergencies, but some buildings have their own security or fire prevention departments, who know their buildings better than the first responders who might show up and are unfamiliar with the building in question. Always check and see who you should contact during an emergency, and when in doubt, always call 911.<\/p>\n

I cannot stress enough the importance of knowing where your nearest emergency exit is located. I believe it is an essential component of Situational Awareness, which is a concept I am always teaching and stressing here on Survive and Defend and in all of my live presentations. We must know our surroundings and what is going on around us, and this means knowing our exits.<\/p>\n

So, why this obsession with emergency exits? When you look at research on how people respond during an emergency, you find that most people tend to want to exit the same way they came in. This often creates dangerous “bottlenecks” where to many people try to evacuate from the same exit. When this happens, people get stuck and can’t get out, and others get trampled to death. Others are seriously injured trying to push through the opening that is inadequate for mass evacuation. It is natural to want to get out the same way we came in, but it is not always the best option, in fact, sometimes it is the worst.<\/p>\n

Identify the nearest exits and have a plan and you will be better prepared if something happens. Many people have died in fires and other disasters because they didn’t have a personal evacuation plan to get out. Studying evacuation plans, or at least casually glancing to see where the nearest exit sign is, can save you from the same fate. Sometimes the nearest exit to your location could be beside you, behind you, in front of you, and not necessarily the same way you came in. Please keep that in mind the next time you walk into an unfamiliar building, or even a familiar building: Know your exits!<\/p>\n

One more video from Hogwarts<\/h2>\n