In an emergency you do not have a lot of time to take in your surroundings. That is why getting familiar with the layout of buildings you are making smart safety sense. When you enter a store, hotel or public building, identify the emergency exits by doing a quick visual sweep of the premises. If an emergency does arise, you’ll be able to get you and your loved ones to safety a lot quicker.
Most public buildings will have an emergency evacuation plan posted on the wall. Get into the habit of locating and checking this out. The plan will provide you with a layout of the floor you are on, as well as the important exits and any evacuation procedures. They should also give the location of fire extinguishers and first aid kits and the phone numbers to ring in the event of an emergency.
In a disaster, most people will try to exit the same way they came in. This creates a potentially lethal bottleneck situation. This has resulted in many deaths as people get stuck and then trample over each other. By simply glancing at the emergency evacuation plan or taking note of the emergency exit signs, you will able to avoid the stampede and get out in a timely fashion.