- The survival sequence is: stay calm → assess → prioritise (rule of threes) → act. Panic is the #1 killer in disasters; people die metres from safety because they froze or fled blindly. The antidote is rehearsal — a drilled action needs no courage.
- STOP drill when anything goes wrong: Stop, Think, Observe, Plan. Teach it to the kids as a game.
- Normalcy bias is the family-killer: "it'll be fine, everyone's still shopping" is why people evacuate late and queue for empty shelves. Your tripwires (P4) decide in advance so the moment doesn't have to.
- Condition awareness (Cooper's colours, simplified): White = oblivious (phone-scrolling in public) — be here only at home behind locked doors. Yellow = relaxed alert, noticing exits, people, mood of a place — your public default. Orange = something specific feels off → move, create distance, put a plan together. Red = act. This costs nothing and prevents more violence than any weapon.
- Fitness is survival gear. Can you carry a child 2 km? A 20 kg pack for 10? Climb a fence? Walking, squats, carries, and grip work — 30 min/day — outperform £1,000 of kit. Fix your teeth and any nagging medical issue NOW while dentists exist.
- Morale is logistics: sleep discipline, routines, small comforts (coffee, games, chocolate), giving everyone (kids included) a real job. Despair is contagious; so is competence.
Mindset
Stay calm, assess, prioritise, act. Panic kills more people than the disaster does.