Posted on 06/26/2015 10:57:36 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Human factors are an important element in understanding how people will react to situations. The late Jonathan Sime was a Surrey-based environmental psychologist who made considerable contributions to this field. To quote...:
"The most important finding of the research is the fact that the start-up time (ie, people's reaction to an alarm) is as (if not more) important as the time it takes physically to reach an exit . . . On average two-thirds of the time from onset of the alarm to reaching an exit was spent by people not moving at all. On average one-third of the time was spent in moving from seat positions to an exit."
In other words, people generally seek further information before they act. The majority of events unfold in a relatively predictable manner: panic is seldom a factor in emergency egress (evacuation) - unless the public lack information, are confined, threatened or confused. Lack of information can turn a passive crowd into a stampede. The consequences of a crowd crush can be much worse that the incident.
...
There is also the phenomenon of "crowd crazing", where marketing or promotions prompt the public into actions of the sort seen in January last year a Japanese shopping mall.
According to news reports, the Tama Plaza Tokyu shopping centre in Yokohama offered a new year promotion of "lucky bags" (fukubukuro) containing merchandise more valuable than their retail price. A large crowd turned out. Anxiety and competitiveness developed, and when the doors of the centre opened mid-morning, the shoppers surged forward. The craze caused a crowd collapse as people toppled over each other. Ten people were injured.
This sort of event is more alarming to emergency planner as areas not designed, planned or managed are attracting large crowds in often dangerous, competitive environments.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
In other words: Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.
Domestically like the “lucky bags” example: “egg rush” events in the USA around Easter, where kids & parents line up around a field filled with fully visible candy-filled plastic eggs, and on a signal all race madly to scoop up as many of the freebies as they can. The vision is innocent children delightedly picking up brightly colored items filled with sweets in a symbolic expression of the joy of life given by Spring and Resurrection, but instead manifests as parents angrily shoving others to grab as much as they can and children crying as other faster-moving elders take the delights first in a grotesque antithesis to what Easter is about.
I always go in knowing where the exits are. When I used to go to bars and clubs I would hang out near the door till a table near an emergency exit opened up.
The bigger the building/crowd, the more important it is.
Only once did I have to use an emergency exit due to a small fire in a nightclub but I’m glad I parked myself near it. When the lights came on and the PA alerted us to the fire, 90% of the people headed for the door we came in at the front of the building. I backed up against the wall next to the exit and waved my minimag light around to get people’s attention on the emergency exit.
It’s the mentality of the individual as well.
I see a crowd and I go the other way.
Generations are now taught that crowds are normal.
I neither live in a large city, conscious of the potential...
Yup-Like a US national election
I don’t love crowds either and will avoid them if at all possible these days.
Don’t forget the crowds or mobs that descend on Wal Mart (especially) every Thanksgiving night to get in on Christmas shopping sales. I do recall people have died because of these events.
Yup, nothing says “thanks be to God for His providence & salvation” like shoving people out of the way in the middle of the night to buy yourself a cheap TV.
So the lesson? Start moving immediately, even if you have no idea where the exit is. You’ll likely have time to find it before the idiots start stampeding.
I have studied building fires and its very common for people to not react if no one else is reacting. Its sort of an “ If we ignore it, it will go away” mentality. Someone will surly resolve the matter any time now.
And then all at once, everyone races for the door that they came in, ignoring all other exit signs. Its remarkably consistent.
The intelligence of a crowd is equal to the total IQ of each individual divided by the square of the number of individuals in the crowd.
Same as for congress.
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