Have you ever heard of “optimism bias”? Well, it’s a term used to describe our propensity to overestimate the chance of happy events and underestimate the possibility of bad ones.
For instance, not adding money to an emergency fund because you’re confident in your job security or boarding a plane without contemplating a possible crash; cycling without a helmet on or believing that COVID-19 has nothing on you – in other words, it’s an overabundance of positivity.
We assume we don’t need to back ourselves up because these wretched things only happen to other people, right? Unfortunately, life is not a storybook, and you never know what type of doom may come knocking at your door next. Now, this doesn’t mean you should obsess over negativity, but being alert will help you deal with or prevent any hindrance, trouble, and in most cases, even death.
More info: Twitter
You know what they say: “Awareness saves lives”
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A couple of nights ago, the capital of South Korea faced a vastly tragic event. The Itaewon district, which is located in central Seoul and is home to many nightclubs, restaurants, and bars, experienced a fatal crowd crush that claimed the lives of more than 150 individuals. This was the first year that locals and visitors could enjoy Halloween activities without the social distancing or other restrictions that were imposed at the outset of the pandemic, but due to an unusually large number of people, partygoers were packed and pushed along a narrow lane that is about 150 feet long and 10 feet wide.
Now-viral Twitter thread offers advice on what to do in a crowd rush in light of the Seoul tragedy
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“What to do in a crowd crush” – this person turned to Twitter to share an educational thread full of safety tips in the wake of the deadly crowd surge that happened on the night of October 29 in the Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul. The post garnered nearly 376k likes, as well as 165.8k retweets.
If you are attending a large event, make sure you make note of where the emergency exits are
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Learn how to watch crowd density
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A crowd crush occurs when there is excessive congestion and the density escalates to the point where exiting is nearly impossible. Typically, such events happen due to the recklessness of organizers, meaning that the vast majority of crowd tragedies may be avoided by implementing a few precautionary measures.
Image credits: belugasong
Image credits: belugasong
Image credits: belugasong
Image credits: belugasong
Crowd control is a public security practice that manages large gatherings in order to prevent the outbreak of crowd crushes, fights, and riots. Whether it’s privately hired security guards or police officers, their job is to control any foreseen and unforeseen events. To give a more illustrative example, their responsibilities include: setting clear roles among team members, working with others to ensure safety, planning for incidents and emergencies, and assessing risks and identifying any potential hazards.
Understand where crowd crush happens
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Concerning the disaster in Itaewon, it was said that an estimate of 100,000 people had gathered in the area, the bulk of whom were in their teens and 20s. However, since there was no organizing body for the annual get-together, only 137 officers were on the scene, with most of them engaging in traffic and crime prevention.
Alert people
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Make space around your chest
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Do not take off your backpack
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Go with the flow
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The Korea Herald, a leading English-language daily newspaper that is published in Seoul, came out with an article outlining the major factors that influenced the fatal crowd surge.
First and foremost, the absence of an organizing body. Since the celebration isn’t considered a national holiday, South Korean businesses arrange events on their own initiative. Without a legal body, it’s hard to tell who can be held accountable (legally) – however, President Yoon Suk-yeol stated that a safety management system will be established for such events.
Do not scream and push
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Do not fall
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Avoid walls
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Help your neighbors only if you can
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The second aspect that contributed to the event’s intensity was the absence of police presence and, of course, crowd control.
Although we can go back and say that Halloween isn’t a nationally recognized celebration, it would be foolish to assume that the capital isn’t used to seeing such gatherings, especially since the place is loved by many foreigners. This wasn’t the first time Itaewon has welcomed a crowd in late October, and it’s truly puzzling how the authorities weren’t concerned for the safety of attendees, as, again, this year was when the COVID-19 restrictions were finally lifted.
What to do in the aftermath
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Make sure it is safe
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Accessing if someone is responsive
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Check for breathing
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Speaking of which, the lifted restrictions were also among the reasons why the evening took such a turn. Even though many countries have already gone past the rules and regulations that were set during the outbreak, South Korea only recently started to get back to its usual routine.
Since businesses like clubs and restaurants were badly impacted by the pandemic and many citizens had been told not to stay out late for months, it should’ve been predicted that Seoul’s streets would be overcrowded.
Begin CPR
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Hand position guide
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Pressure guide
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The cracking sound from life-saving compressions
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And the last factor that the local newspaper mentioned was a steep, narrow street.
The incident itself took place in a narrow downhill street next to the Hamilton Hotel, outside one of the exits of the Itaewon subway station, and according to the reporter, this part of the neighborhood gets congested even on regular weekends due to folks walking in different directions at the same time.
Beat
When to add breath
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What to do if you add rescue breaths
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What to do if you get tired
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What’s also worth noting is that many people appear to mistake stampedes with crowd crushes despite the fact that there are key distinctions between the two incidents. A crowd crush happens when too many people cram into a small space; however, a stampede indicates that there is room to flee. Additionally, it places responsibility on the victims and suggests that their unreasonable behavior may have contributed to the event in the first place.
What happened in Seoul was most definitely not a stampede, like many news outlets seem to be reporting, and the only people who are really to blame is the authorities for their mismanagement.
Don’t stop. Keep going until first responders arrive
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Get familiar with how defibrillators work
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Due to its given name, many might assume that people die exclusively due to being trampled, but, in actuality, most deaths occur because of suffocation. The thing is, when you breathe out, your chest cavity contracts – however, when a large crowd gets packed so closely together, the force is so great that it makes it hard to expand it, meaning that something as simple as drawing breath becomes nearly impossible.
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As South Korea continues to mourn the sudden deaths of its people, it’s vital to recognize that these incidents will continue to happen as long as the responsible parties, be it the government or event organizers, don’t establish adequate crowd-management processes that will detect and prevent the aftermath of high crowd densities.
If you have plans to attend an event that you know will draw a sizable crowd, be mindful of your surroundings and remember the given advice, because you never know – you could wind up saving someone’s life.