An attacker doesn’t want everyone to see what’s going on. They don’t want to gt caught. They don’t want attention.

Therefore you should make it a priority to attract as much attention as possible.

Always remember to Just Yell “Fire”

It may sound odd at first to yell “fire” when there is no fire, but there are many good reasons for it.

#1 People gawk

People feel safer coming out to gawk at a big spectacle like a fire. It’s quite a sight to see, and that’s what you want, witnesses. People however do not feel safe confronting a violent crazy person. Many will not come out to help if that’s what you scream.

#2 People care about their own safety

Fire rarely affects just one person. If they are within earshot of someone screaming “fire”, chances are it could spread to the building they are in. It is in their best interest to come out and see what’s going on. No one is going to roll over and go back to sleep if they think there is a chance that buildings around them are burning.

#3 Some people hate the police

In many places, especially the bad neighborhoods, people don’t like police. Screaming “police” won’t help you then. A lot of people don’t like having the police around. Everybody loves a fireman however. In bad neighborhoods such as these it is often pretty routine for fire departments to get all kinds of calls about crimes, which they forward to the police. Some people  avoid calling the police but have no problem calling the ifre department.