Why Some People Live and Some People Die in the Same Emergencies and Disasters: Can the General Public Be Taught to Save Themselves?
Abstract
Each year the United States suffers approximately 3,000 fire-related deaths and approximately 4,700 work-related deaths. Hundreds of additional fatalities occur annually due to severe weather, as well as man-made and natural disasters. Can the general public be taught to save themselves during emergencies and disasters? To that end, the research answered the following questions: (1) What research has been previously performed to examine civilian survivability?, (2) What are the cognitive functions that allow or prohibit people to make correct life-saving decisions?, (3) Are there patterns in the way that people process information and perceive danger?, (4) What are the critical elements that allow some people to survive and others to perish?, and (5) What can be done to increase the chances that civilians will make the correct choice of action during emergencies and disasters? This thesis examines the importance of human behavior in emergencies and disasters and provides recommendations that may help to reduce civilian fatalities. The literature review revealed an abundance of material available to address the topic. As heuristics (science of trial and error); utility theory (methodical evaluation of alternative choices); human reactions, such as fear, intuition, emotion, and past experience, and group versus individual dynamics each impact the decision-making process, the research concludes that the general public can be taught how to perform and react appropriately during emergencies. Recommendations included legislating mandatory training on emergency action plans in the workplace, enhancing the efforts of emergency responders to provide public education, and developing public/private partnerships to provide realistic information and scenario-based drills that the public can comprehend and participate in.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA579664
Entities
People
- Stephen Marsar
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School