He of the big-ass biceps and smart and kind wife has sorted all this shit out for us:
https://www.activeresponsetraining.n...val-compendium
Scan through for the crowd stuff, then go back and re-read it all. jMO.
He of the big-ass biceps and smart and kind wife has sorted all this shit out for us:
https://www.activeresponsetraining.n...val-compendium
Scan through for the crowd stuff, then go back and re-read it all. jMO.
”But in the end all of these ideas just manufacture new criminals when the problem isn't a lack of criminals.” -JRB
I got this advice from a locksmith on another forum. It's not firsthand, take it for what it's worth.
The emergency exits at places like Walmart are usually on a time delay. The purpose is to deter shoplifters. You push the door, the alarm sounds and then it's between 10 and 30 seconds before the door actually opens which gives an associate time to see why somebody's trying to leave through the emergency exit.
My wife and I avoid malls or any place that requires a lot of walking because she is disabled but when we go shopping our plan is to go to the employee are you in the back of the store because there's always an exit door there.
As a "high end open air mall" this is more akin to a small village.
“Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais
"Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA
Beware of my temper, and the dog that I've found...
When I was a health inspector, I inspected a large supermarket that used a chain and padlock to block rear exits. The only way out was the front door. Purpose was to control employee theft. Of course, I reported this to the fire department but got small response. Probability says that other businesses may practice the same stupidity. In this case I purposely exceeded my authority and said if you don't fix this, then I'm going to do that. However, nothing changed in the long run. Oddly, a wealthy Mexican family several of these markets within the state. This one made extensive use of undocumented persons to work there. Sometimes I wondered if the chained exits controlled them. I saw similar situations in Chinese restaurants that chained their doors. They had peasants from China working there. Years later, one of these was cited for human trafficking. So one can't assume that egress from buildings is unrestricted.
For me a chained door would be a dead in. I could either remain there and hide or search for another way out. Chained doors add another variable to the puzzle. Most of us would never think that fire exits would be blocked. They most likely would not be blocked in a mall occupied by major chains with established policy. Fire departments might be more diligent in mall inspections. Venture elsewhere. Who knows? Nothing surprises me anymore. In my career as a teacher I have seen chained rear doors in schools. Nightclub fires from the past with high death toll can be blamed on chained doors.
Last edited by willie; 09-30-2019 at 08:58 AM. Reason: spelling
Sheep only have two modes - graze and stampede.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
The ability to reason is what separates us from animals. Evaluate the situation you have been presented with and take an appropriate course of action. Do not fall into the pack mentality.
In this particular scenario where it's not clear what's actually happening: grab whoever's important, find something sturdy, and hug it until it's a little more clear what's going on. Is everyone running in all directions? Are they running from something? Are they running to something?
I'd be a little reluctant to give credence to a random PA announcement: some dipshit using the PA to play a prank is a lot more likely than an actual active shooter.
I'd also be a little reluctant to charge through the nearest fire exit. Fire exits in malls can be mazes that are difficult to navigate in the best of times, much less than when you're under stress. I've also seen emergency exits in places like movie theaters that lead back into the movie theater - you can end up running through a hall only to find yourself led to the front door, which everyone else is trying to get through.
"Sapiens dicit: 'Ignoscere divinum est, sed noli pretium plenum pro pizza sero allata solvere.'" - Michelangelo