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Hostage situations are some of the most intense and frightening emergencies a person can experience. There’s a level of chaos, fear, and uncertainty that can make it feel impossible to think clearly. Read on to discover what to do to prepare yourself when faced with a hostage situation.

1. Stay Calm and Assess the Situation

The first step is to ensure you remain as calm as possible. Panicking in such a situation can impair your judgment, leading to increased stress levels and escalating tension with your captor. Since being a hostage victim is often unpredictable, maintaining a calm mind allows you to process details and be strategic about how to navigate the scenario.

Here are some practical ways to consider for calmness and situation awareness:

• Take deep, controlled, and slow breaths to help reduce panic and keep your mind calm and functional.
• Observe without reacting immediately. Ensure you take note of important details such as the number of captors, their behaviour, weapons, exits, and other hostages.
• Establish mental priorities, such as making your first goal your safety. Secondary goals may include gathering information or helping others, provided it’s safe.

2. Follow Instructions

Since a typical hostage takeover is about control and attention, your captor may issue orders immediately. Being compliant in the early stages can prevent escalation and lower immediate risk. It’s important to note that resistance through provocative body language or arguing when told what to do can trigger violent escalations that could end up being life-threatening.

3. Observe and Remember

While following instructions, you should pay close attention to details and rely on discreet memory aids, such as silently repeating them in your head without drawing attention to yourself. These observations may be necessary for your rescue or for providing information to the police, which could lead to timely arrests. Things you should consider observing include:

• How your captor behaves, patterns, and routines.
• Remembering exits, furniture placement, and objects that could serve as barriers.
• Mentally record the number of captors, their clothing, accents, or distinguishing features.

4. Build Rapport Carefully

When possible, establish a calm and non-confrontational relationship with your captor to make yourself relatable and trustworthy in their eyes. It’s advisable to avoid challenging their authority and arguments that could make them more aggressive. Moreover, take note of any common interests that you could use to lead light conversations to lighten the tension.

5. Keep a Low Profile

In hostage situations, remaining unnoticed can save your life, as it reduces the risk of attracting negative attention. The best thing to do is to avoid drawing unnecessary attention, which lowers the likelihood of being singled out. Keeping a low profile can be achieved by:

• Not making eye contact could be perceived as a sign of defiance.
• Position yourself so that you’re not blocking others’ access or the captor’s view.
• Limiting movement and avoiding sudden gestures.

6. Look for Safe Opportunities to Escape

While escaping during such situations isn’t recommended, you should only attempt it if it’s practical and safe to do so. If you see a window of opportunity that can ensure your survival, seize it. However, if it seems impossible and could lead to fatalities, consider shifting your focus to surviving until the appropriate emergency personnel intervene.

7. Comply During Negotiations

If the police negotiators and special task forces are negotiating with your captors, ensure that you follow their instructions carefully. The primary goal is your safety, which can be achieved by de-escalating the situation when you cooperate. Ensure that you avoid interfering with any negotiations or disclosing information about what should happen unless instructed to do so by the negotiators.

No one ever expects to find themselves in a hostage situation, but understanding how to respond can mean the difference between life and death. Since your goal is survival, you should use your instincts, remain calm, observe carefully, comply initially, and protect yourself until help arrives. If possible, use the panic button widget or send a silent alert from your FREE-to-use iER App to alert the emergency contact centre and for the appropriate emergency responders to be dispatched.