The triangle of life

The information in this article comes from Doug Copp, Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International. He has crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams from 60 countries, and was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two years. Except for simultaneous disasters, Copp has worked at every major disaster in the world since 1985.

The first collapsed building Copp ever crawled inside was a school in Mexico City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under his desk. Every child was crushed to the thickness of her bones. Since that time, Copp has not only rescued thousands of survivors, he has done his best to help people understand how to survive an earthquake.

I wish everyone in Haiti had been given this advice a month ago. I hope you never need this information. I hope, if you do, you will remember it. I also hope you click “forward” and send this on to those you love.

Barb Jarmoska
 

Surviving an earthquake – advice from Doug Copp

The tragic deaths of the children found crushed under their desks in Mexico in 1985 were unnecessary. I am amazed that even today schools are still using the "Duck and Cover" instructions- telling the children to squat under their desks with their heads bowed and covered with their hands. During an earthquake, this is the worst possible choice.

When buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the Triangle of life. The larger the object, the stronger it is, the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. Triangles are the most common shape found in collapsed buildings.

People who 'duck and cover' when buildings collapse are nearly always crushed to death. People who get under objects like desks or cars are seldom rescued.

If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to large, bulky object (such as a sofa or appliance) that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it. Cats, dogs and babies will naturally curl up in the fetal position. This is a natural safety/survival instinct. That position helps you survive in a smaller void.

If you are in bed when an earthquake occurs, simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes simply by posting a sign on the back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.

Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be trapped in during an earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but fewer deaths than concrete slabs. Concrete buildings are the most dangerous during an earthquake.

Almost everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed. If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls sideways you can be cut in half by the doorway.

Never go to the stairs. Stairways have a different moment of frequency. The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. Even if the stairs do not collapse in the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. (Stairs should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.)

Get outside, or near the outer walls of buildings if possible. It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are from the exterior walls of the building, the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked.

Paper does not compact. Be aware that large voids are always found surrounding stacks of paper. This information may be beneficial for those working at a newspaper or other large office building.

People inside their vehicles are crushed when the road above caves in. This is exactly what happened on the Nimitz Freeway. The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and lying in the fetal position next to their vehicles. Those killed could have survived if they had been able to get out and sit or lie next to their car. Nearly every crushed car had a 3-foot void beside it.

Spread the word and save someone's life. The entire world is experiencing natural calamities. Be prepared!