How to Stay Safe on a Subway Stuck in a Dungeon
New York’s ongoing subway crisis has turned into a potent cocktail this summer, mixing passengers’ worst fears into a hot, claustrophobic underground nightmare. The delays are mounting, the squeaky equipment of the 1930s is in dire need of replacement, and perhaps true PTSD has begun . The chances of you being stuck in a tunnel with other panicking people will only increase. (If you need to be convinced that things are not going well, we’d suggest you watch the infamous June video of desperate metro victims literally getting out of a stuck overheated car.)
Despite all this, daily commutes on the subway are an inevitable fact of life for millions of daily commuters, so for practical advice on how to survive in subway hell, we turned to experts on tackling another claustrophobic microbial tube in public transport: airplanes. The flight attendants, of course, are much more than (to quote the replacement) the waitresses in the sky: they are a fully trained, quick-thinking first line of defense in the air, forced to cope with all kinds of mini-crises, as well as smile and make sure that you have convenient, and the MTA is definitely not trying to do that. (By the way, we reached out to the MTA for their best advice on overcoming underground crises, and have not received any information yet – we will update if we get a response.)
Below the flight attendants give us their best tips for managing the wide variety of emergencies you might encounter underground:
Someone has a panic attack
Claustrophobia, delays, or just being in New York can conspire to drive people insane, even on a good day. “If you or someone nearby starts to have panic attacks and hyperventilation, this old trick of giving someone a paper bag to breathe in really works,” said Mandy Smith, a 10-year flight attendant who wrote the book Fever in the cockpit: hiss “. Virgin Airlines Flight Attendant Secrets.
“It forces you to re-breathe your own carbon dioxide,” she said, which helps balance oxygen consumption. “They will either faint or it will help them. In both cases it helps. ” If there is no paper bag, she suggests that the hyperventilated person place their hand on your chest, near your collarbone, and ask them to monitor your breathing.
The flight attendants said that the main thing to do with a passenger in the midst of a mental disorder is to distract him by asking simple questions in a calm voice. Eye contact is helpful too. In this way, you position yourself as an expert on what is happening, i.e., you reassure the person that you are constantly dealing with these kinds of delays and that everything will be fine.
“Distract them from what they are passionate about in their head,” Smith said. Simple questions can help distract from panic, such as asking people where they are going, where they are from, or is this their regular subway line.
“I make them look around,” said Nikki Thompson, who has worked as a flight attendant for an international airline for four years. The strategy here is to bring the passengers’ panic back to the present moment. She avoids planting bad thoughts in their minds (don’t say things like “The train hasn’t caught fire yet!”). Instead, choose something straightforward, such as, “Your limbs are all intact now. Everything is okay, ”Thompson suggests.
A fight breaks out or the rider behaves aggressively
Stupid things happen all the time that can turn into fights. Smith said she saw two grown men fighting on the plane in a scuffle that started over a cookie. When someone gets so aggressive, the flight attendants switch to a quick sedation mode, which is also a wise strategy for metro passengers who find themselves in tight quarters.
To stop the fight on the train, experts propose a divide and conquer method, gradually pushing the riders away from each other, working to defuse the situation. “In these situations, you act like an elementary school teacher or kindergarten teacher,” said Karali Mulder, who has eight years of international and domestic airline experience and has created the Life of a Flight Attendant blog. “You are playing a slightly authoritative role.”
Most of the time, she says, people are just angry and frustrated and want to be heard. She will squat to be at their level while talking to them. “I don’t want to ever stand over a passenger,” she said. “I always squat at eye level or lower and just let them know I’m listening.”
On the subway, you need to speak calmly, but formally and helpfully, so that the person you are talking to does not immediately explode in your face.
Thompson then goes into problem solving mode. “I have to find out what they need. Where do they come from? Are they afraid of something? ” she said. “This is what it comes down to, they are afraid of the unknown.”
If someone is truly dangerous, Smith recommends avoiding eye contact, which can aggravate the situation, and putting something physically between yourself and the danger. Even a subway pole or umbrella can help.
Sick passengers
Like that old paper bag breathing trick when people ask, “Is there a doctor in the house?” almost always works too. The density of New York City means that the chances of having a doctor, nurse, firefighter, ambulance, or anyone else with a medical background in your carriage are pretty high.
“It’s nice to speak openly, to be the one who asks for a doctor,” Thompson said. “It really worked every time.”
If the doctor is not there and it is not clear what is wrong with him, ask him for a medical history or look for a medical bracelet. If they cannot speak, the flight attendants suggest looking in the bag for the medicine.
Official MTA posters say that when you feel unwell, you should get off the train at the next stop, or contact the conductor (or have someone do it for you) who will wait with you until help arrives. This summer, the MTA also said it is working with the NYPD to increase patrols at key stations to help sick (or disobedient) passengers.
FIRE! FIRE!
Fires in a subway car are rare, but even a small fire can be dangerous at close range. The flight attendants said that it is very important to know which type of fire you will face first: fuel (clothing, paper, etc.), flammable liquid (oil, grease) or electric (laptop caught fire). To cope with electrical fires, flight attendants are trained to turn off the power source first. Do not pour water on fat or oil in the fire, otherwise the flame will simply spread; your best bet is to use a fire extinguisher (which you probably won’t have access to unless you arethis guy) or, if possible, strangle him safely. You can find the official MTA instructions here .
In the event of a fuel fire, you must immediately remove anything that could catch fire: for example, loose clothing, newspapers.
But when in doubt, getting away from the fire should be your highest priority. Smoke is usually the biggest threat, not the flame itself. If a subway car begins to fill up with smoke, open windows and doors as soon as possible or transfer to another car. “You should get off the train immediately if you can,” Smith said.
While the MTA strongly discourages “self-evacuation” from trains, well, this has been done before. (And here you can find their official escape instructions, which outline four strategies for getting to safety.)
An important fact: The MTA says that you almost never have to pull on the emergency cord, even if you are in a situation that you might consider “emergency.” The MTA prescribes to use it only to stop the train, “when movement in the subway poses an imminent danger to life and health.” Once the cable is tensioned, the brakes must be released before the train can move again, which in some cases can significantly exacerbate the emergency.
Heat or air conditioner goes kaput
Bad news for passengers stuck in that horrible nightmare subway car video: flight attendants can’t help you.
If the air conditioner stops working, they said your only recourse is to get comfortable and loosen tight clothing or find something stiff to fan yourselves (they recommend a safety card on planes). If the heat kicks you while you’re stuck in the middle of winter, it’s time to make friends and get together to keep warm. “I know it’s not really New York to say this, but you have to get to know the people around you,” Smith said. “You don’t want to freeze to death.”
Look for moms
When flight attendants talk about safety before a flight, they don’t just convey important information: they also study the crowd to see who might be helpful in an emergency. If shit is falling on the train and you need help, you don’t always need to look for a tough guy.
“Parents, moms: they can be the coolest under pressure,” Thompson said. “They can take direction.”