Most view Oct. 1, 2017 as the dreaded day Stephen Paddock opened fire on the crowds attending the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival. He shot down from his Las Vegas hotel room, injuring over 500 people, and killing 59. The news images were horrific and beyond heartbreaking, hitting many close to home.
But through this catastrophe, lessons, survivors and heroes emerged. While the victims deserve endless respect and remembrance, I feel the heroes should also be commemorated more.
Instead of shining the limelight on the tragedies of this event, let’s take a moment to focus on the ones who shined light on the situation.
Like many others, I too had extended family involved. Brandon Campbell, a relative of my cousin, was at the festival when disaster struck. He is training to become a firefighter, so when the chaos started, he immediately jumped into action.
As the shooting began, Campbell laid on top of and shielded two women, one of whom is a mother of five. He also took three trips to the hospital, where he helped the wounded in the back of a pickup truck. Although the experience was beyond terrifying, it showed him that he made the right career choice and that he was born to save lives.
“Everyone did what they had to do that night to stay alive. I wasn’t thinking, just trying to get as many people to the hospital as possible,” Campbell said. “I didn’t plan on doing what I did that night, whatever happened, happened.”
But through this catastrophe, lessons, survivors and heroes emerged. While the victims deserve endless respect and remembrance, I feel the heroes should also be commemorated more.
Instead of shining the limelight on the tragedies of this event, let’s take a moment to focus on the ones who shined light on the situation.
Like many others, I too had extended family involved. Brandon Campbell, a relative of my cousin, was at the festival when disaster struck. He is training to become a firefighter, so when the chaos started, he immediately jumped into action.
As the shooting began, Campbell laid on top of and shielded two women, one of whom is a mother of five. He also took three trips to the hospital, where he helped the wounded in the back of a pickup truck. Although the experience was beyond terrifying, it showed him that he made the right career choice and that he was born to save lives.
“Everyone did what they had to do that night to stay alive. I wasn’t thinking, just trying to get as many people to the hospital as possible,” Campbell said. “I didn’t plan on doing what I did that night, whatever happened, happened.”
Like Campbell, no one was expecting the chaos. Since it is impossible to predict when danger will occur, it is always important to be vigilant. With Halloween approaching, it is as crucial as ever to be prepared for anything. The night of Halloween consists of costumes, packed streets and large parties, making it an easy target for potential threat.
However, this is no reason to cancel your Halloween plans. To stay safe, it’s essential that you familiarize yourself with the area in advance, stay in contact with others and always consider the worst. Many neglect to think of the possibilities of danger, only putting themselves at risk. While the fear is real, it should not hold you back.
Sadly, not everyone has been through hours of training teaching them how to deal with dangerous situations. Because of this, the majority are left in shock and without a clue on how to react when approaced with violence. Last year during the lockdown, students felt unprepared. Luckily, our campus was free from harm, but how would our students hold up if it wasn’t?
To prevent tragedy and create more future heroes, safety tactics should be incorporated into our school curriculum. Classes like Health and Sports Medicine briefly tell students about safety awareness, but neglect to teach detailed lessons about real life possibilities. We should consider providing students with an assembly regarding how to stay safe during hazardous events. The longer we put off educating students about their safety, the higher chance we have of being negatively affected.
While we will never be able to predict any disaster, we can prepare ourselves for when it unexpectedly occur
However, this is no reason to cancel your Halloween plans. To stay safe, it’s essential that you familiarize yourself with the area in advance, stay in contact with others and always consider the worst. Many neglect to think of the possibilities of danger, only putting themselves at risk. While the fear is real, it should not hold you back.
Sadly, not everyone has been through hours of training teaching them how to deal with dangerous situations. Because of this, the majority are left in shock and without a clue on how to react when approaced with violence. Last year during the lockdown, students felt unprepared. Luckily, our campus was free from harm, but how would our students hold up if it wasn’t?
To prevent tragedy and create more future heroes, safety tactics should be incorporated into our school curriculum. Classes like Health and Sports Medicine briefly tell students about safety awareness, but neglect to teach detailed lessons about real life possibilities. We should consider providing students with an assembly regarding how to stay safe during hazardous events. The longer we put off educating students about their safety, the higher chance we have of being negatively affected.
While we will never be able to predict any disaster, we can prepare ourselves for when it unexpectedly occur