Triangle of Life?

More like, Triangle of Death

An article written by Chloe Nicole Salvador (IX-Athens)

ANTIPOLO, Rizal— In the last two weeks, magnitude 6.5 earthquakes jolted parts of Mindanao especially these past
three days where one netizen quoted it as their “alarm clock” every morning. And last April 22, people around the
metro as well as the students of AICS experienced a magnitude 6 earthquake.

Ways of survival have also been making rounds on the students’ social media accounts as a way to spread
preparedness and earthquake safety. Which is good, because spreading information is the key to avoid any future
harm that can be caused by unpreparedness during an earthquake.

However, spreading myths or unproven information can do more harm than good. Case in point: The so-called
‘Triangle of Life’ that some students shared.

Doug Copp, an American self-proclaimed ‘rescue expert’, wrote an article claiming that the duck, cover, and hold
method or other methods developed by rescue organizations- are wrong. In the article it is written that you should
hide next to sturdy pieces of furniture rather than under them as it creates a ‘void’ that protects the person from
any harm during an earthquake. According to the article:

“Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes
these objects, leaving a space or void next to them – NOT under them. This space is what I call the ‘triangle of life’.
The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the
greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The next time you watch
collapsed buildings, on television, count the ‘triangles’ you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common
shape, you will see, in a collapsed building.”

Odds are that they’ve already seen and shared posts about this ‘Triangle of Life’, but try to dig deeper. Google it.
They will see many articles, including a post from the American Red Cross, refuting this so-called way of survival
during an earthquake. Those articles pretty much states that Copp’s so-called ‘Triangle of Life’ is pretty much a myth
because:

1. His method can NEVER be applied universally as building codes are different for every country. His
experience was also limited to a few countries only.
2. His experiences are also not mainly based on real experienced but on an experiment with mannequins.
3. Moreover, his claim on himself as a ‘rescue expert’ is heavily challenged. He was even placed under
investigation by the US Department of Justice Fraud unit.
4. The presence of voids can also be highly random; risking your life for these unsure chances are not worth
taking.

Proving therefore, that the so-called ‘Triangle of Life’ isn’t exactly built on solid rock. That is why you should do the
‘Duck, Cover, and Hold’ method as it was proven effective during real-time, legit earthquakes.

In the end, instantly spreading whatever comes your way in social media can sometimes cause more harm than
good. Before sharing, it is important to do some research before believing and sharing any disaster tips not coming
from credible sources.

Think, before you click -- a reminder from a journalist of the Immaculadian.