Being a Survivor

Today’s thoughts are a continuation of my last weblog entry and come from summary findings of Ben Sherwood’s book, The Survivors Club, Grand Central Publishing, 2009.

Since my wife and I fly quite frequently I thought it would be informative for other flyers to know who survives airplane crashes—and, surprising to me, most (95.7% according to the National Transportation Safety Board) do—and how they go about it. Moreover, “40 percent of the fatalities in plane crashes around the world occur in situations that are actually survivable.” Before blowing off these assertions as nonsense read the book, pp.58-59.

Here is how it is done.

• Decide before the flight that if any accident were to happen ‘I will survive if I do not panic. I will not freeze, but I will keep my wits and will act purposefully and quickly.’ Then review how you will act, envisioning several scenarios. You will have a maximum of 90 seconds to evacuate the aircraft. If you don’t get out before that time you are dead.
• Take the emergency procedures reviewed by the flight attendant seriously. Listen carefully and read the printed instructions every time you fly; it will pre-set you for action should action be needed. In other words, keep your shoes on, your safety belt tightly fastened across your hips and know the best impact position to take (lean forward with your head on or close to the surface in front of you, hands and arms forward near your head and feet flat on the floor). Don’t go to sleep or start reading until the plane attains altitude.
• Know the concept of ‘plus 3 / minus 8.’ Plus three is the first three minutes of the flight—down the runway and pulling up into the sky. Minus eight is the last eight minutes of the flight—the final approach including touchdown and braking on the runway. Eighty % of all plane crashes occur in those critical eleven minutes. Be alert and ready to take action, should it be needed, during those eleven minutes.
• Memorize where the emergency exits are located and arrange ahead of time to be seated in an emergency exit or within five rows of one. Count how many rows you are from your first and second alternative exits. You likely may not be able to see them in an emergency because of smoke or the crush of bodies. Discuss your escape plan with those seat-mates or family members you are flying with.
• Forget your carry-on luggage, books, laptops, purses, etc. Just get out once the plane comes to a stop. “Lugging your bags will slow down your escape and block others, too.”
• Proper flying clothes includes lace-up or Velcro shoes, no nylons or skirts or high heels for ladies, no shorts for anyone, long pants and long sleeves made of non-synthetic material. Fire especially and shredded aluminum are your biggest hazards to escape. You might consider buying and carrying a smoke hood in your pocket.
• Know that if you are young, slender, fit, and alert you will have a much greater chance of surviving than those who are not. If you are old, slow or have, shall we say, large girth then try to get a seat near the floor exits—the larger wider main doors usually at the front and back of the plane; the smaller over-wing exits are more difficult for the less agile to negotiate. Conventional wisdom says to sit toward the rear of the plane for greater survivability, but FAA safety experts do not agree. Isle seats, except in exit rows, have a slightly better escape chance than do window seats.

In this weblog I have dwelt on air flight safety. In the book there are chapters or sub-chapters on outdoor survival, being lost and getting found, parachute jumping accidents, accidents on the sea, who lives and dies in the emergency room of the hospital, hypothermia, the power of mental/spiritual attitude in survival, fear, surviving trauma of animal attacks, vehicle accidents, postponing death, resilience genetics, Holocaust survivors, how adversity can be good for you, and other interesting sections, and finally ‘The Survivor Profiler’ a predictor of your own personal chances of being a survivor.

I end with the U.S. Air Force ‘Rule of Three’: You cannot survive

 3 seconds without spirit and hope
 3 minutes without air
 3 hours without shelter in extreme conditions
 3 days without water
 3 weeks without food
 3 months without companionship or love

Keep your priorities straight and you can be a survivor until it is really your time to move on.