Ability Forum

[srividyaa]

FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE 'TRIANGLE OF LIFE'

Edited for MAA Safety Committee brief

My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the
American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced
rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an
earthquake. I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with
rescue teams from 60 countries, have founded rescue teams in several
countries and was one of the United Nations experts in Disaster Mitigation
for two years. I have worked at every major disaster in the world since
1985.

In 1996 we made a film, which proved my survival methodology to be correct.
We collapsed a school and a home with 20 mannequins inside. Ten mannequins
did 'duck and cover,' and the other ten mannequins used my 'triangle of
life' survival method. After the simulated earthquake, we crawled through
the rubble and entered the building to film and document the results. The
film showed that there would have been zero percent survival for those
doing duck and cover; and 100 percent survivability for people using my
method of the 'triangle of life.' The first building I ever crawled inside
of was a school in Mexico City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was
under its desk. Every child was crushed to the thickness of their bones.
They could have survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles.

At that time, the children were told to hide under something. Simply
stated, 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, 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. The next
time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the 'triangles'
you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape.

TEN TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY

1) Almost everyone who simply 'ducks and covers' when buildings collapse
are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are
crushed.

2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal position. You
should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. You
can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next
to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next
to it.

3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be 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. Also,
the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings
will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less
squashed bodies than concrete slabs.

4) If you are in bed during the night and 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.

5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out the
door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to a
sofa, or large chair.

6) Almost everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is
killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or
backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the doorjamb falls
sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will
be killed!

7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different 'moment of
frequency' (they swing separately from the main part of the building).The
stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other
until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on
stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads - horribly
mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the
stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if
the earthquake does not collapse the stairs, they may collapse later when
overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety,
even when the rest of the building is not damaged.

Get near the 'Outer Walls of Buildings' or 'Outside Of Them' 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 outside perimeter of
the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be
blocked.

9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in
an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened
with the slabs between the decks of 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 sitting or lying
next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had
been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the
crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that
had columns fall directly across them.

10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices and
other offices with a lot of paper that paper does not compact. Large voids
are found surrounding stacks of paper.

Spread the word and save someone's life.

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- -------
Maarit Hirvonen
Representative
UNICEF
Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire
Mobile: +(225) 04 80 89 44
Tel/office: +(225) 21 25 16 32 (direct)
+(225) 21 21 18 50 (standard)
email: mhirvonen@unicef. org
www.unicef.org/ cotedivoire

FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE 'TRIANGLE OF LIFE'

Edited for MAA Safety Committee brief

My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the
American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced
rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an
earthquake. I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with
rescue teams from 60 countries, have founded rescue teams in several
countries and was one of the United Nations experts in Disaster Mitigation
for two years. I have worked at every major disaster in the world since
1985.

In 1996 we made a film, which proved my survival methodology to be correct.
We collapsed a school and a home with 20 mannequins inside. Ten mannequins
did 'duck and cover,' and the other ten mannequins used my 'triangle of
life' survival method. After the simulated earthquake, we crawled through
the rubble and entered the building to film and document the results. The
film showed that there would have been zero percent survival for those
doing duck and cover; and 100 percent survivability for people using my
method of the 'triangle of life.' The first building I ever crawled inside
of was a school in Mexico City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was
under its desk. Every child was crushed to the thickness of their bones.
They could have survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles.

At that time, the children were told to hide under something. Simply
stated, 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, 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. The next
time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the 'triangles'
you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape.

TEN TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY

1) Almost everyone who simply 'ducks and covers' when buildings collapse
are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are
crushed.

2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal position. You
should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. You
can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next
to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next
to it.

3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be 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. Also,
the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings
will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less
squashed bodies than concrete slabs.

4) If you are in bed during the night and 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.

5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out the
door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to a
sofa, or large chair.

6) Almost everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is
killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or
backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the doorjamb falls
sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will
be killed!

7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different 'moment of
frequency' (they swing separately from the main part of the building).The
stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other
until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on
stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads - horribly
mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the
stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if
the earthquake does not collapse the stairs, they may collapse later when
overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety,
even when the rest of the building is not damaged.

Get near the 'Outer Walls of Buildings' or 'Outside Of Them' 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 outside perimeter of
the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be
blocked.

9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in
an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened
with the slabs between the decks of 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 sitting or lying
next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had
been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the
crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that
had columns fall directly across them.

10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices and
other offices with a lot of paper that paper does not compact. Large voids
are found surrounding stacks of paper.

Spread the word and save someone's life.

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- -------
Maarit Hirvonen
Representative
UNICEF
Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire
Mobile: +(225) 04 80 89 44
Tel/office: +(225) 21 25 16 32 (direct)
+(225) 21 21 18 50 (standard)
email: mhirvonen@unicef. org
www.unicef.org/ cotedivoire

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[Madman]

These are helpful tips. What an apt post. With the earthquakes happening here and there, it always pays to be prepared.

Lead Generation Philippines | Call Center Philippines

These are helpful tips. What an apt post. With the earthquakes happening here and there, it always pays to be prepared.

Lead Generation Philippines | Call Center Philippines

[Methewwade]

Wooden buildings would be safe at the earthquake. It is safest type of construction to be in during an earthquake. You should find outer walls immediately for exit. Cut of power supply. When you go outside, you should protect your head is important.

Wooden buildings would be safe at the earthquake. It is safest type of construction to be in during an earthquake. You should find outer walls immediately for exit. Cut of power supply. When you go outside, you should protect your head is important.