Scout troop keeps its cool

Scout troop keeps its cool
from another Survival group by Christopher

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/worst_case_scenarios/4331486.html?page=2

the difference between life and death often comes down to the simple-yet surprisingly difficult-task of recognizing threats before they overwhelm you, then working through them as discrete challenges.

The people who survive disasters tend to be better prepared and more capable of making smart decisions under pressure. Not everyone is born with these traits, but almost anyone can learn them. Here's how to wire your brain for survival.

Keep Cool in a Crisis
The tornado siren sounded at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch in western Iowa just before the power went out on June 11, 2008. Scout Leader Fred Ullrich, "I was looking for lightning and listening for that freight train sound you're supposed to hear with tornadoes, but there was nothing like that," Ullrich says. "But something told me we were in deep trouble. I yelled for the boys to get under the tables." Ullrich was picked up and thrown from the building. Then the 150-mph wind simply blew the Boy Scout shelter apart. "I can only describe my actions in that moment as being totally futile," Ullrich says.

Once the tornado passed, All around him was chaos. Some scouts were trapped by the debris. For a brief moment Ullrich was dazed. Then he went into autopilot rescue mode. "I went to a very businesslike place." He circled what was left of the disintegrated shelter, directing the able-bodied to take care of the injured. And the scouts did just that-applying pressure to wounds, turning T-shirts into bandages and elevating the legs of those who were in shock. Ullrich used a 6-foot iron bar to pry up a wooden board and bricks that had fallen on one boy.

In a disaster roughly 10 percent of people panic, while 80 percent essentially do nothing. Unable to come to terms with what's happening, they freeze. The remaining 10 percent jump into action. Ullrich needed a separate and equally important skill: to get hold of himself and get people organized.

being able to set aside fear is what separates people like Ullrich from others. "Fear is a good thing," Hart says. "You want to have it because it can motivate you to action. But if you become overwhelmed by it, then it's debilitating."

What's worse, research shows that the greater the number of people who are involved in an emergency situation, the less likely it is that anyone will intervene - a phenomenon known as the Bystander Effect. in group situations, there is a diffusion of responsibility; people look for cues from others before deciding how to act. "Just being aware of this tendency and saying 'I am responsible' can make a difference. People who believe that they are responsible for other people's welfare help more."

mental preparedness and responsibility are central to the Boy Scout philosophy. The night before the tornado, Ullrich had put the boys through a first-aid drill. When emergency responders arrived after the tornado, what they saw was devastating-four scouts were dead or mortally wounded. Scores were suffering from broken pelvises, dislocated shoulders, lacerations and punctured lungs. Ullrich and the uninjured scouts were putting their training to work. They had organized an on-the-spot triage center, helping to prepare the most seriously injured for their journey to the hospital.

By teaching his scouts to leap into action, Ullrich skewed the 10-80-10 math of disaster. He saw the drill as part of his responsibility to care for the troop. "The point of it is to get these scouts to be the people who don't sit around when something bad happens," he says, "but to be the type of people who do something."