[throwaway8689]

I once hypothetically saved a few dozen colleagues from dying in a fire. All of these people had at least a degree and many were educated to PhD.

The fire alarm sounded and at the bottom of a stairwell the exit door would not release until someone operated the emergency release break-glass panel. But none of these educated people grasped that. Worse still, none of them thought to use a nearby heavy steel trolley as a battering ram. One guy is trying to phone for help, which was pointless as the alarm sound makes conversation impossible.

I'm one of the last down the stairs. I look at the people, the closed door, the steel trolley, and the emergency door release panel. Realising I'm not going to have the fun of trashing the doors, I operate the release panel and we all leave.

[fl7305]

> none of them thought to use a nearby heavy steel trolley as a battering ram

It has been my experience that most people will freeze up more or less in an emergency. Some people will become completely catatonic, while others "just" lose 40 IQ points and start focusing on unimportant stuff ("I should clean my room" when there's a fire).

Some rare individuals are naturally calm in an emergency. I'm not one of those, but through unfortunate experiences I now recognize when it happens to me and I can force myself to prioritize and think logically.

[adave]

People who are calm and composed in chaos had that as a natural state growing up, hence when shit hits the fan these folks feel at ease and ready to do what's needed.