TikTok has become home to many genres of content, and survival is one of them. And we’re not just talking about Bear Grylls in some remote corner of the world.
For example, take Dannah Eve, also known as the Street Smart Blonde. After getting a degree in criminology and psychology, she started sharing everyday safety tips online, and her comprehensive informative videos immediately found an audience.
Now, Dannah has over 1.1 million combined social media followers who appreciate her clips on everything from how to prepare for a hurricane to avoiding check fraud and everything in between.
#1
11 people have died in rip currents in less than two weeks along the Gulf Coast. Let’s talk about what to do if, God forbid, you find yourself in this situation.
If you get caught in one, it will pull you out to sea. Now the reason why this ends in a tragedy a lot of the time is because it’s a very scary situation to be in. People panic, they hyperventilate, and they swim as hard as they can against the current. And because of this, they exhaust themselves and unfortunately drown.
Now I’m speaking from experience here, because when I was about 15 years old, I myself was actually caught in a rip current. And the only reason I knew what to do is because my dad drilled this into my head when I was very young. It’s a lot easier said than done. But the first thing and the most important thing is to not panic, and never try and fight the ocean. Rip current will typically take you out to where the waves start to break. But some can take you out hundreds of yards if the conditions are right. And in the ocean, that’s pretty scary.
So let’s say, God forbid, you’re in a rip current, what do you do? As I mentioned before, the most important thing is to stay calm, you’re gonna save your energy and calmly swim parallel to shore. Once you clear the rip currents, you could then swim in a diagonal all the way back to shore. When this happened to me, where I exited the water was extremely far from where I had entered because I was able to remain calm. I was able to keep the friend that was with me calm and she and I made it back to shore safely.
Image credits: dannah_eve
#2
Here’s what to do if you get pulled over by an unmarked car. First thing, in the case that it actually is an officer, you want to make sure that they are aware that you know that you’re being pulled over. A way to acknowledge them is by putting on your flashers. If you’re on the highway, it’s also a good idea to pull to the far right lane and drive at the speed limit so they could just follow behind you.
Now that you’ve acknowledged that they are behind you and you are being pulled over, you’re gonna want to call 911. You’ll then tell them that you’re being pulled over by what looks like an unmarked car, but you want to confirm that it is in fact a police officer. They’ll ask you some questions about your location and be able to confirm if it is legit or not. Now in the case that it is not legitimate, you’re gonna want to drive straight to the nearest police station, and also keep 911 on the phone. In the world we live in these days, there are so many scary scams that go around. And remember that you can get a flasher and siren from Amazon.
Image credits: dannah_eve
#3
Teaching your kids situational awareness at a young age. Something that you can do to help your kids become aware of their surroundings at a young age is play situational awareness games. When you’re driving in the car as a family, start to look for a specific type of car and color. Make it fun and exciting and have your kids shout out loud when they see that type of car.
You should also play this game at hotels, restaurants, airports, you name it. But in this situation, you want them to be able to spot all of the nearest exits. You have them get into the habit of looking for them and pointing them out to you as they see them. This creates a habit at a young age and I can bet you that they will find exits for the rest of their life.
Another smart game is ‘people watching’. Next time you’re sitting down in a restaurant or at a park with your kid, pick somebody out and have them guess their age, their height, their weight, even have them guess their career based off of what they look like. This way, your child starts getting into the habit of observing people around them. Now as a parent myself, this is definitely a scary thought that you want your child to be able to pick out somebody and describe somebody to a T if, God forbid, they’re ever in a dangerous situation. And playing games with your kids just like these will help with their situational awareness at a very early age.
Image credits: dannah_eve
#4
If you ever are driving and you find yourself behind one of these vehicles, switch lanes immediately and stop following this truck. My mom had a friend growing up who actually lost a family member because one of those wooden logs came dislodged and went right through her windshield.
Image credits: dannah_eve
#5
Never give out any sensitive information on an inbound call. There are a ton of scammers out there these days that are calling pretending to be your credit card company. Only give out your information on an outbound call.
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#6
Always make sure that your computer cameras are covered.
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#7
Tip number one. If anybody ever asks if you’re home alone, the answer is no. Never actually open your door for anybody. Make sure to keep all windows and doors locked at all times. And if you’re home alone at night, it’s not a bad idea to keep lights on in random rooms throughout your house.
If you want to order food, order food through an app like Uber Eats because this way you can do a contactless delivery. And if the delivery person arrives and ring the doorbell, you just say ‘thank you so much, you could leave it right there.’ It’s also not a bad idea to yell ‘dad, food’s here.’
And lastly, never feel like you have to be brave. If you ever find yourself in a dangerous situation or you just feel that something’s off, call 911. It’s always better to have an officer come out for a false alarm than risk being in a dangerous situation with no help on the way. Make sure to give me a follow and, as always, stay safe out there.
Image credits: dannah_eve
#8
You’re in the elevator in the building you live in and somebody that you don’t recognize asks if you live here. “No, just visiting some friends I went to college with.” “No just dropping off a few things for my brother.” An Uber or Lyft driver or a taxi driver drops you off at your home and asks if this is your home, “No, just visiting some family friends.” “No, on my way to a surprise party or event.” “I wish but no.”
You’re sitting and having a drink and somebody says, “What’s up, girl, what you doing here alone?” “I’m just waiting for my boyfriend.” “Waiting on some friends. They should be here any minute.” “Waiting on my husband. He’s just parking.”
You recently moved to a new city and somebody asks if you’re new here. “No, I used to live right down the street.” “No, I used to go to school here.”
And if you ever find yourself in a situation where somebody asks, “Does anybody know you’re here?” Your answer 100% of the time is “yes.” “Yes. My husband is on his way to meet me right now.” “Yes, my friend should be here any minute.” “Yes. Just waiting on the rest of my family to arrive.”
Never ever tell anybody that you are alone. And as a rule of thumb, regardless of being true or not, somebody always knows where you are, even if nobody really does.
Image credits: dannah_eve
#9
Always enable a remote wipe of your smartphone. This way, if you lose it, you could delete all sensitive material.
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#10
If you’re ever at an ATM machine or you’re about to swipe your credit card, always give the machine a little jiggle. Unfortunately, there is a lot of technology out there that can be used to steal your information. So it’s definitely a good idea to take a good look at the machine before you use it.
Image credits: dannah_eve
#11
Let’s say somebody rear-ends you but it’s pretty minor and you kind of get this gut feeling that something just doesn’t seem right – it’s late, it’s dark, you’re on a side street with not a lot of traffic – stay in your car, especially if it’s drivable and everybody’s safe. Stay in your car with the doors locked, and immediately get on the phone with 911. Keep your car on. Again, if it’s safe, then make sure that you are ready to pull out of there if the situation would become dangerous.
And if, God forbid, it would and you do need to peel out of there, drive right to the police station. I’ve heard of situations where criminals go after their target by getting into a minor car accident with them, and this way, they could lure them out of their vehicle on some side street. So always be very hyper-aware of your surroundings and if you have a gut feeling that something seems off, it most likely is.
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#12
If your Uber/Lyft taxi driver seems sketchy, end the ride and get out of the car as soon as possible, make up any excuse that you have to. “I think I’m going to be sick, I’m about to throw up. It’s an emergency, I have a stomach ache, you need to pull over right now.” Or if need be, if you’re at a stoplight, just unlock that door and get the hell out.
Also, it’s never a bad idea to carry some form of self-defense tool with you. Now this could be something like a tactical pen, pepper spray, or mace. Another thing that I’ve personally done is hop on the phone with my husband and put him on speaker and tell him exactly where I am, the name of my driver, and when he can expect me to arrive. He’s also been trained for years to know that if I call and say anything, that he just is supposed to go along with it.
Lastly, if you do find yourself in this situation, then make sure that you’re reporting this driver, there should be no situation where a driver should make you feel uncomfortable, ever.
Image credits: dannah_eve
#13
Breaking down some situations when you should absolutely lie.
So let’s say you’re traveling alone and a male sits next to you and asks if you’re traveling alone. “No, my brother is actually sitting a few rows off and we’re meeting a bunch of friends when we get to the next airport.” “No, I’m actually going to visit my three brothers, they’ll be picking me up at the airport.”
Let’s say you’re waiting in the lobby of a hotel, and a man simply asks you if you’re staying there. “No, actually just meeting a few friends for a drink.” “I was but I’m checking out today.” “I’m actually just waiting on the rest of my family to come down here.”
You are in college, sitting in a Starbucks, and somebody comes up and asks you if you go to school here or what school you go to, “Actually, I just take online classes.” If anybody ever asks you what hotel you’re staying at, you can simply reply with the Marriott or the Hilton because those hotels are literally everywhere.
You arrive at a destination and you’re waiting on your taxi or Uber but the person behind you, just for whatever reason, asks if you want to share a ride. “No, sorry, I’m actually waiting on some friends. They should be coming out any second.” These are all situations where it’s very smart to lie.
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#14
Reasons to lie:
You’re staying at a hotel and order room service and the person that delivers the room service asks if you’re staying alone. “No, my husband’s in the shower.”
And a little tip here, before you answer the door, turn the shower on, turn the light on, and close the door. This way, it’s totally believable. “No, my boyfriend just went to grab something from the lobby. He will be back any second now.” “No, my parents and brother are in the adjoining room.” You are in the grocery store and somebody asks if you live in the area. “No, I’m here with my husband.” “No, just in town visiting some friends.”
You are sitting in a coffee shop and somebody creepy asks to sit with you. “The table’s all yours. I was just leaving.” “You can have the table. My husband’s outside waiting for me in the parking lot. I was just leaving.”
You are at the gym and somebody creepy asks for your number. “I’m flattered but I’m married. My husband’s over in the weight section.” “I have a boyfriend, he’s right over there.” And literally point to anybody.
Image credits: dannah_eve
#15
Here’s a safety tip for all my girls. This one is as simple as it gets, but it can potentially save your life. We live in a scary world. And by implementing this simple trick, you’re going to make yourself less ideal of a target, and sometimes to deter crime, it’s as simple as that.
I’m sure you’ve heard ‘there’s safety in numbers’ your whole life. But if you have to walk somewhere alone, here’s how you’re going to do it. So, first thing and arguably the most important thing is to always act like you know where you’re going. Even when you don’t, you want to have your guard up and be aware of your surroundings at all times. Have good posture and a strong, firm stride. You want to walk with a purpose.
And again, act like you know exactly what you’re doing and exactly where you’re going. If, by chance, you do need to look down at your phone for directions, or to answer a text message, you’re gonna want to back yourself up against a car or a wall. That way when you do look down at your phone, nobody can approach you from behind, and you’re gonna want to do this as quick and efficiently as you can.
And also if you do have to do this, make sure you’re looking up every couple of seconds and don’t leave your head buried in your phone for too long. In my opinion, it’s really sad that I feel the need to make these videos, but unfortunately, in the world we live in, you just cannot be too cautious. Stay safe out there.
Image credits: dannah_eve
#16
Never save your home address in any GPS. A good option is to put in the address of a local CVS or gas station that’s nearby.
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#17
What to do if there’s an active shooter in your school? If that announcement ever comes on and you’re in the hallway or the bathroom, the first thing you’re gonna want to do is run to the nearest classroom, or if possible, out of the school. Now, with an active shooter, all doors are gonna lock almost immediately. So don’t even worry about trying to get back to your specific classroom. Again, head to the nearest room. Now, if you’re caught in the bathroom, and getting to a classroom isn’t a possibility, here are some things you can do.
So every bathroom setup is going to be completely different. So you’re going to look around and see what you have to work with. Is there a janitor’s closet that locks? Is there a window that you could safely get out of? Is there an oversized trashcan that you can climb into and cover yourself with trash and hide? One of the schools that I went to had a bathroom that had a window that led to the roof and I, one day, actually tried to see if that was a possibility for me. The window did in fact open and I would have been able to climb out and hide on that roof if need be.
Remember that you’re in survival mode here. So do anything and everything that you have to do to survive. Focus on what you’re wearing, what’s in your backpack? Is there anything that you can use that could be a doorstop? Can you add a shoe under the door to make it harder to open? Can you use your shoe strings or belt to somehow tie the door closed? Teachers, maybe it’s not a bad idea to have your bathroom pass be a doorstop that works with your bathroom doors. This way, you can jam it in there and kick it in. So it makes the door almost impossible to open. If you have the ability to turn off the lights in the bathroom, always do so. But a lot of the time, they are on a sensor. So in that case, what you can do is go to one of the last stalls, open the door and don’t even close it, but climb up on the toilet seat and make sure that your feet and backpack are not visible. Once in this position, stay completely still so that the lights turn off. If the shooter would open the bathroom door, you’d want the lights to then turn on and it’ll look like nobody was in there. Again, it’s so important to use what you have to your advantage.
There was one specific drill that I remember doing in middle school that was for a coder and or a lockdown. And after that, I took out a piece of paper and I wrote ‘out of order’. I kept this in the front of my backpack with some tape. And that was to be used specifically in the case of an active shooter. You can either stick this on the outside of the bathroom door or outside of a stall, lock the door to that stall and then once again climb up and get your feet and backpack off the ground. Now a lot of things are also automatic, but in the situation that yours isn’t, figure out a way to plug the sink and leave it running so that it hopefully overflows. If the shooter did come into that bathroom, it might make them think that somebody left in a hurry. But not just that. Remember, floors are slippery when wet.
Another thing that I personally did in one of my schools was see if the ceiling was a potential hiding place. Some ceilings have panels that can be removed, and then you can climb up in there. Now again, it’s going to be different for every single building and every bathroom depending on how thick the ceiling material is and if it can hold your weight. But I actually did once attempt it and I was able to pancake myself, and if need be, that’s where I was gonna go. Because once up there, you then replace the panel and nobody can see you. Lastly, silently call 911 and give them any helpful information. Especially if you do hear gunshots. That way, you can direct law enforcement to where the shooter might be. Remember that shots echo indoors, and it can make it very hard to pinpoint where the shooter is. As a new mom, it truly just breaks my heart to even have to think about things like this. No parent should have to.
Image credits: dannah_eve
#18
10 safety tips for my girls going back to college:
1. Always practice situational awareness and be aware of your surroundings. Remember that a distracted person is a very easy target.
2. Always lock your doors and windows. This includes your car doors, your dorm door, you name it, and get in the habit of doing this because it’s something that’s very small, takes up a very short amount of time, and it could very well save your life.
3. Avoid walking alone at night, utilize campus shuttle services, and implement the buddy system. Also, always have a check-in person, this could be a friend, your mom, or a family member. Regardless of who this is, this person should hear from you every single night when you’re home safe.
4. Keep your personal information private. This is especially important for social media and make sure that you’re never posting in real time. This also means making sure that you never leave any packages facing label up in your car or have a lanyard with your full name on it facing up as well. Bottom line, no personal information is out in the open.
5. Invest in some personal safety gadgets, upper jaw and mace are great options as well as a personal keychain alarm.
6. Keep all your emergency contacts as well as campus security stored in your phone.
7. Never leave your drink unattended. And if that drink ever leaves your line of vision, get a new one. Also, as tempting as it might be, don’t go accepting random drinks from random guys.
8. As always, be cautious and thorough when using apps like Uber and Lyft. And make damn sure that you’re getting in the car that you’re supposed to be getting in. Make sure that the license plate matches what it says on the app.
9. Pay attention and take note of where you could find those emergency call boxes located around campus. For whatever reason you find yourself in a situation where you no longer have a cell phone, it dies, you drop it, you break it, you want to know where these are.
10. Create a trusted community of friends. Get in the habit of communicating your whereabouts with this group of friends so that you guys can watch each other’s backs and look out for one another.
Image credits: dannah_eve
#19
Never overshare on social media. This means don’t post in real-time and never share too much information about yourself that could potentially put you in a dangerous situation.
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#20
Here are some safety tips for public transportation: First thing – if you can travel in a group or with a friend, always do so. But I also understand that a lot of people don’t have that option. Always sit in a position where you can see everybody on that bus or form of transportation. This way, you’re positioning yourself to always be aware of your surroundings and you will see something if it looks off. Always tell somebody where you are. And always have a check-in person who is expecting to hear from you when you get home. Never be distracted or have your head buried in your phone. Unfortunately, a distracted person makes a very easy target. It’s also a good idea to have mace or pepper spray on you. And last but not least, never wear flashy or expensive jewelry or designer bags. You never want to draw unwanted attention to yourself.
Image credits: dannah_eve
#21
Bad guys typically assess a potential opportunity or victim in three ways. Number one – is their target distracted? Or will they be able to carry out this crime relatively easily? Two is – their risk of injury, or how likely they are to be harmed. This is why in my ‘When To Lie’ series, I always mention a male figure. The sad truth is that a female becomes less ideal of a target if she is accompanied by a male presence. That’s why I’m always saying things like ‘your father, your brother, your boyfriend, your husband,’ etc. And lastly is – the likelihood that they’re to get away with this crime. My goal is to arm you guys with tools and knowledge so that you can make yourself as unappealing of a target as possible.
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#22
When to lie – Kids Edition
If anybody ever asks if your parents are home, the answer is always yes. And if need be, you could follow that with “my mom’s in the shower.” “My dad’s on a business call.” “Oh, my parents are on Zoom right now.” No matter what, you never want anybody to know that you’re home alone.
If you’re ever across the street at a park with friends, and somebody would approach you and ask if you’re alone, “No, my parents are right over there” and point to anybody. This actually happened to me once when growing up, I was with a friend and her parents, we were at a park playing and her parents had run into a couple of friends. So they were standing and talking, not far from where we were playing. And this guy came over to us and said, “Are you guys alone?” And my friend’s like ‘uh-huh’ and I was like, “No, we’re not, our parents are right over there. See?” And I, like, pointed. I don’t know how old I was. But I just remember thinking like, do you mean yes, like, no, we’re not alone ever. So I guess it’s safe to say that this is something that you should practice with your kids. Because not every kid will answer in the way that you would hope that they would answer.
Also, there are days in high school where I would, like, have to stay late for sports or for whatever reason. And I would always wait outside for one of my parents to pick me up. And now that I think about it, that probably wasn’t the smartest thing. High school, you’re 14-17 years old and that’s still pretty young. So in that situation, don’t walk outside until you see your parents, because there’s just no reason to be waiting outside alone anywhere. Ever.
Something else that I used to do growing up was go walk around the mall with friends and then we would always wait outside when we were done for one of our parents to pick us up. Now these days, that’s another no no. Stay in the mall where it’s populated and have your parents call you once they’re there and then go outside. And if you are walking around the mall and somebody would approach you and ask if you’re alone, “Nope, my mom’s in the store right across the way, she’ll be meeting us any minute.” “No, my parents are over there.” And again, teach your kids situational awareness and to be aware of their surroundings at all times.
Image credits: dannah_eve
#23
Let’s say somebody rings your doorbell or knocks on your door in the middle of the night, is it best to address a situation or act like nobody’s home? Always address the situation, you never want it to seem like nobody’s home, it very well might be a test to see if the home is vacant. Now with that said, never open the door either. Ever, ever, ever.
The best thing that you can do is either talk through the door or a ring camera if you have one, and immediately trust your gut. If you feel that that person is there with nefarious intentions, make it known that you’ve already called 911. Don’t threaten to call 911, say that you’ve already called 911 and they should be there momentarily. Something else you could do is try and scare them off. If you’re upstairs talking through a ring camera, and you do have an alarm system and this alarm is set, you want to trigger the alarm. You can do this by simply opening an upstairs window and closing it immediately. This is also a very easy way to get in touch with the authorities and let them know that you need assistance immediately.
Something else you could do is set up your car alarm. My husband and I always keep our car keys with us in our bedroom so that we can hit ‘panic’ if need be. And everybody knows how annoying car alarms are in the middle of the night. Noise is your friend. Now let’s say you’re not home but you’re able to talk through your ring camera. Again, you always want to make it like somebody is there. Something else you could also do is invest in smart plugs and be able to turn on random lights throughout your house from your cell phone. And again, the most important thing you could do is call 911. You can have officers dispatched to your house even if you’re not there.
Lastly, another way that you can protect your home is having motion sensor floodlights. This way, if anybody ever enters your property, you light them up quite literally. Multiple visible security cameras and home security lawn signs and window stickers are also a wonderful way to deter crime. I have some good options for everything that I’ve talked about linked in my Amazon store. One more thing to remember if you are planning on going out of town is always have a neighbor grab your packages and mail. A lot of the times, bad guys will do some surveillance of the home they plan on breaking into and if you have packages sitting out for multiple days at a time, they know that nobody’s there.
Image credits: dannah_eve
#24
Real-life situational awareness to teach your child:
You’re in the garage while your child is riding their bike on the driveway, a car pulls up on the street and asks your child if they live on the block. First thing, make sure that your child always knows to keep their distance and reply with, “No, I don’t. But my mommy can tell you. MOM! DAD!” And then have them actually yell for you. Or let’s say your child’s a little bit older, and they’re out riding their bikes by themselves, a car pulls to the side of the road and asks if your child would come help them with something. Again, teach your child to always keep their distance and reply, “No, I’ll get my dad.” It’s also not a bad idea to teach your child to yell for you, even if you’re not close by. Because if that person has malicious intentions, and they think that you’re right around the bush or something, they will probably get spooked and leave.
Let’s say your child is on a playground at school and somebody creepy comes over and asks them something. Teach them that no adult should ever be asking them questions and that it’s very important to always keep their distance and go get their teacher, no matter what is offered to them. Your child’s in summer camp and their camp decides to take them to a public pool. While at the public pool, a creepy adult approaches your child and asks if they can go buy them ice cream, tell them again, “Always keep your distance and point to any adult and say my mom’s right there, go ask her.” And make sure that your child knows that if this ever happens or any situation similar to this happens, they need to go tell their camp counselor immediately.
It’s also very important to teach your child at a young age that no adult should ever be asking a child for help. If an adult needs help, they will ask another adult. You’re not teaching them to be scared and live in fear, you’re teaching them to be aware. And it’s important that they know at a very young age that there are bad people in the world that might try and hurt them. So arming your child with the tools and knowledge so they know how to handle themselves in a situation especially when you’re not there is crucial. Distance and noise is always their friend. And, most important of all, is establishing an open line of communication where your child feels that they could come to you for anything.
Image credits: dannah_eve
#25
Here’s a safety tip you should incorporate into your life right now. Create an alias and use it for all deliveries coming to your house. This means all packages and also food deliveries like Uber Eats. You should then even take it a step further and use it whenever you’re ordering food in a restaurant. A perfect example is your Starbucks order. You don’t want anybody yelling out your name. Also, it’s a good idea to use a name like Blake or Chandler that could be a guy or girl. This way, you never put yourself in a potentially dangerous situation where somebody has your name and then can hop online and find out who you are, and be as generic as possible like a Blake Smith. No, that is not the alias I use. This is something that I have done for years and something that every single one of you should do as well.
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#26
You’re working alone in a gym that opens very early and stays open late and a creepy guy asks if you’re working out alone. “No, my boss is here. He’s just in his office right now doing paperwork.” “No, my boyfriend’s here with me. He always hates when I work out alone, so he hangs out in the break room until I get off.” “No, my boss called a really early meeting this morning and everybody’s in his office right now.”
You are a broker and a new creepy client asks if you always go to showings alone. “No, I have a very protective husband who hates when I go anywhere alone. So he’s actually sitting out front in the car right now.” “Sometimes, but I always make sure to install a ton of hidden cameras just for my own safety.”
You are a nanny and a delivery person asks if you’re home alone with the kids. “No, luckily, both parents work from home.” “No, my boyfriend is super protective and always tags along.”
You are on vacation on the beach and some creepy guy asks what hotel you’re staying in. “No hotel. I’m here staying with friends.” “Nowhere now, I’m leaving for the airport in a few hours.”
Image credits: dannah_eve
#27
Here’s a safety tip to always keep in mind when you’re getting in your vehicle. Now, the odds of this happening are slim. But it’s always better to be safe than sorry. If you ever get in your car and something is lodged in your windshield wipers, don’t turn your windshield wipers on to free the object. There have been some scary cases in the past where a girl will get in her car and think nothing about turning her windshield wipers on and she’ll actually end up smearing a substance over her windshield so that she can no longer see or drive anywhere.
So if you would ever get in your car and you see something, lock those doors immediately and get out of there, drive to a very well-populated area. And if you have a gut feeling that something feels off, remember to always trust your gut, because most of the time it’s right. And never try and be a hero. If you feel that something’s off, hop on the phone, call 911 and drive to the nearest police station. Remember to never ever drive home. I never ever make these videos to try and scare anybody. Like I always say, ‘It’s not about living in fear. It’s about living aware.’ And unfortunately, it is a scary world these days. So practice situational awareness and trust your gut.
Image credits: dannah_eve
#28
Let’s talk about what to do if, God forbid, you’re at an event and a mass shooting breaks out. These videos are always extremely hard for me to make. And the reason I’m making this one is because today marks the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting that happened in my hometown. I was born and raised in Highland Park, Illinois. And most of you now know exactly where that is because of the mass shooting that happened at our Fourth of July parade. Many people that I love and care about attended the parade that day. And the sad truth is that we all see this on the news all the time, it’s become a social norm, and we sit on the edge of our seats, and we watch the shooting play out only for it to happen again. And again and again. Now I pray that nobody ever has to use these tips.
But here are some things to keep in mind. If, God forbid, you ever find yourself in this horrific situation, the first thing that you’ll most likely hear is a ‘pop, pop, pop’. And a lot of times, that could be mistaken for a car backfiring or, in the Fourth of July parade instance, fireworks. It’s important to be able to distinguish the sound immediately so that you can react quickly. And if you’re unfamiliar with what the sound of gunfire sounds like, it’s not a bad idea to go online and just listen. Now trust me, I get it. That’s a very scary thing to even think about having to do. But the world we live in these days, it’s important that we all know what gunfire can sound like, both indoors and outdoors. Now the second you hear gunfire, you have to be able to think on your feet. And you want to seek cover or concealment immediately. Now, cover and concealment are two different things. Concrete or cinderblock walls, a very thick tree or even the front of a car where the engine is, that’s cover. Cover is something that a bullet cannot pass through. And this is what you want to find for you and your family. Now, if you can’t find cover, you can’t run away immediately and escape, or if you’re in an indoor setting and you’re trying to hide, that’s when you want to find concealment. And this is any hiding place. And if this is the only option you have, you want to hide and you want to be as quiet as you can. Make sure you turn your phone on silent because you don’t want anything ringing and giving away your position.
Now if you’re outdoors and this happens, never follow the crowd. A lot of the times, very loud noises echo and gunfire can actually sound like it’s coming in the opposite direction of where it’s actually coming from. And because of this, the crowd of people might actually be running towards the gunfire. Now, about cover and concealment, regardless of the method or choice that you have at your hands at that time, you want to stay low, you want to move quickly, and you want to stay quiet. If you’re in an area or indoors and escaping is not an option, the next thing to do is look for a weapon. Now if it were me, I would immediately grab pepper spray because I always have that on me. But if that wasn’t an option, I would look for a fire extinguisher. Both of these items can be used to disorient a shooter from a distance.
And if you’re hidden and you have a fire extinguisher or something like pepper spray, you can momentarily blind the shooter and hopefully get the weapon away. Now, the thing that I like most about a fire extinguisher is that it can also be used as a blunt force object. And should the shooter ever get close enough to you, you know exactly what to do. Remember, if concealment or hiding is your only option, you want to put yourself in a position where you would have the vantage point if, God forbid, the shooter would come in your direction. You want to be in a position where you can completely stay concealed and quiet and hope that the shooter moves on or you’re in a position where if, God forbid, it came down to it and you had no choice but to ambush the shooter, you came from a position where they weren’t expecting.
Image credits: dannah_eve
#29
Here’s a safety tip to always keep in mind whenever you are out walking. And this is especially important if you’re alone or walking with a stroller. Never walk right next to any cars. Make sure you always check traffic and look behind you first, but then you’re gonna want to make your way to the other side of the street, put as much distance between you and vehicle as possible. Remember that a distracted person is a very easy target, have good posture, a strong stride, and always be aware of your surroundings.
Image credits: dannah_eve
#30
Elevator safety tips. So let’s say you are on the elevator and somebody sketchy gets on with you. First and foremost, always make eye contact and address that individual. If you feel that you’re in a scary situation, never get off at your floor.
Now, if you’re ever waiting for an elevator and somebody creepy comes up and then starts waiting for the elevator with you, something that you can do is pretend like you’re waiting for somebody. So if that elevator arrives and the door opens, and that person is standing there and waiting for you to get on, you could just look at them and say, go ahead, I’m waiting for somebody. And then obviously do not get on the elevator.
Oh, a scary situation that happened to me once was in Las Vegas, I had gotten on the elevator and went up a couple of floors, and it stopped. So I was alone, I had already pressed my button, a man walked on that was very, very drunk and gave me a very creepy vibe. He looked at what floor was pressed and didn’t do anything. Now, he very well could have just needed to go to that floor too. But I wasn’t taking that chance. I looked at the button said ‘oh, oops’ and then pressed a floor above it.
Now, luckily, that guy did in fact get off on the floor that I had pressed originally, but had he not then I would have had to handle that situation much differently. Had he not gotten off, before the elevator doors closed, I probably would have stuck my arm out and tried to get out and then run to the nearest stairwell and run to the lobby as fast as I could. Another option is to hop on the phone or pretend you’re getting a phone call and say ‘hey, I’m on the sixth floor. I’ll be there in a second.’ When looking at your phone, pick it up and say ‘hey, I’m literally getting out of the elevator. You guys alright there?’ And hopefully nobody ever finds themselves in a scary situation like this. But if it came down to it, remember that noise is your friend.
It’s never a bad idea to always have some form of self defense tool with you. My favorite would be a pepper spray or a pepper gel. If somebody would ever physically grab you or try to pull you into a room that’s not your own or force you into your own room, make as much noise and commotion as you possibly can. Kick, scream, fight. Your goal is to do whatever you have to do to survive and get away.
Image credits: dannah_eve