dustry , and it is you , the experienced many who will have to take on the mantle to tackle the others who do not understand the deeper implications of what they want to do .
They can add as much HVM as they like but , what happens when you need to get pedestrians through it quickly ? You can have high security search scanners : as long as you are prepared to accept that queues outside will be longer and become a threat themselves .
Because it is we who will have the foresight , through events like these and through the learning from others to understand the bigger picture . These are the calls that I am asking you to make , the views you will have to express , the challenges you will have to put up against those who think they know better .
And if there is no such thing as 100 % security ( and there isn ’ t ), then spending all your time , money and effort on keeping them out is only half a plan . What if they do get in , then what ? There needs to be another plan , a plan B , the back-up plan .
As this article meanders towards its conclusion it is time to stop and put it all back together again . So let me sum it up in terms of the business we work in :
• The public have come to our event to have fun
• Their normalcy bias says those gunshots must just be fireworks
• That explosion ? “ wow stage effects have come on these days ”
• That lorry driving towards them must be delivering food , gosh he has run over someone , he must be drunk !
• It happened in the Bataclan . They thought it was part of the show
• It happened at Pulse Nightclub
• It happened at Nice – Total disbelief as the situation developing around them
• It happened at the Boston Marathon attack where the runners , some covered in dust , debris and hit by flying articles , could not switch off the part of the brain that said they were there to run a marathon
But when it happens , we will know it is not part of the show . It should not be such a surprise because we have thought about it as a possibility :
• What is your first priority ?
• Is there a safe place to get to on a green field site ?
• Where are the Emergency services coming from and how long will they take ?
• What on earth you are going to do in the meantime ?
You are the most important person left alive : tackling a gunman or treating a casualty is not your priority , taking control of the shitstorm that follows is where you need to be in your head and thinking physically where you need to be and how to get there , with a couple of
22 back-up options . That is you priority ! Fresh , rested and unstressed people can take 6-8 seconds to overcome the normalcy bias and start to accept the reality of the situation . That is a long time to wait to react in a terrorist attack . Tired and stressed people take longer , perhaps if you want to add drugs and alcohol into that equation …
But you are ready , you are prepared . You practiced this day in your head and you know what needs to be done . You don ’ t wait 6-8 seconds , because you played these scenarios in your head so many times . You had no idea which one it might be but you knew one day , despite all your precautions , something like this might happen .
When everyone else is still trying to work out what happened , you are leading the frightened public to safety . You are directing staff on the radio , those $ 10.00 an hour staff who never saw this coming either . When everyone else is a sheep , you can be the lion . You can lead people to safety , or the fight back against the attack if the opportunity arises .
Because from many , any of us could be the ONE and we probably won ’ t get any choice in it .
This is our business , we know it better than anyone else and we will be the difference in that time between attack and the security services arrival .
Because we will accept what is happening quicker than anyone else , recognise it and deal with it until they all arrive .
Because this is our job , these are our customers and we owe them a duty of care that extends far beyond entertainment and enjoyment . We owe them a promise that together , we will make each and every one of them as safe as we possibly can .
We need to plan , prevent and prepare for as many eventualities as we can ever possibly imagine . We need to think like a terrorist , think what they might do next , anticipate it , prepare for it and react and respond accordingly on that day that you hope never comes .
But we also need to think like a customer and understand how they are going to react and how you can persuade them to react better , quicker , smarter . Inform them what is happening and don ’ t be shy . Tell them the truth and if you need to , shout and swear at them to move if you need to : overcome their normalcy bias whatever that takes .
Because we are many but we will create one from many – One . The ESA in the US , Canada , UK and around the world will have one vision , one desire and one intent : To keep our business as safe as possible and insist on :
Life Safety First – Demand Safe because we all deserve it .