Behead the Ostrich or you could face a Grenfell situation

Can you remember your last fire drill?

The big danger during emergency evacuations is the behaviour of individuals who fail to follow the standard evacuation drill. People can lapse into Ostrich mode to deny the danger they feel by huddling in a corner until help arrives – if it arrives? Or they will apply ingrained habits by leaving by the route they use every day and run into danger. Others get a skinny latte on the way out.

Psychologist Leon Festinger proposed this as cognitive dissonance or the ostrich effect; centred on how people try to reach internal consistency. He suggested that people have an inner need to ensure that their beliefs and behaviours are consistent. Inconsistent or conflicting beliefs lead to disharmony, which people strive to avoid.

The solution is to chop the head of the Ostrich by increasing and practicing drills in a rigorous and consistent way.

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