Balancing Safety Concerns

[fyrefli]

I'm still recovering from a near-fatal motorcycle accident 18 months ago, have finally lost the external metalwork from my legs but am still generally walking with either crutches or a collapsible walking stick. Having been a frequent flyer for the last decade, last weekend I undertook my first round trip since my accident.

Apart from doing rather more physio than usual - walking through BHX and AMS on the outbound leg! - it passed off uneventfully.

On the return leg, as the crew were securing the cabin for take-off, one of them (not the senior member) came and asked me to give them my walking stick, which was happily and tidily folded up in the pocket of the seat in front of me, so she could put it in the overhead locker. I pointed out that this wasn't going to help in the event of an evacuation (I *can* walk without it, but slower, and I had a person sitting in the window seat next to me, and was several rows from the nearest exit), to which she retorted that it wouldn't help if I bopped someone over the head with it.

I submitted to the request with a quip about the definition of "securing the cabin" and a chuckle, but personally feel she didn't correctly balance the respective safety concerns. I know there are CC on here - what do you think?

[Hotel Tango]

What is this folding walking stick made of? I would imagine it's pretty sturdy. I would side with the F/A as it could actually cause you injury if your head was to jerk forward (there are times when there could be no time for F/As to instruct pax to brace for impact).

[easyflyer83]

I always insist on walking sticks in the overhead locker as per SOP (Standard Operating Procedures). I would have perhaps let you just leave it in the seat pocket depending on how big it was when folded up but generally there is no distinction in SOP between a walking stick and a folded up walking stick and so the crew member can't really be blamed for simply doing his/her job.

The quip she came back with could perhaps have been left out but I sympathise in that it is sometimes hard to bite your tongue when passengers try to negotiate, argue and retort when going about our safety related duties. I mean that in the nicest possible way and I'm sure, in this instance, you'd fit into 'trying to negotiate' rather than argue and being rude.

In an evacuation I honestly think that your stick would not have been of any use whatsoever. Past incidents have shown that evacuations can be very aggressive, particularly where smoke and fire is present, and it's my opinion that your stick would have been more of an hinderence. You sound mentally fit and strong which would probably do you more good in such a cirumstance.

[PAXboy]

Regarding evacuations .. read up what happened on the cruise liner at the weekend. I read (from memory) a man saw his wife into the lifeboat but was prevented from entering by the crew member as they were then full, to the alloted number. He found another boat and the two of them met up a few hours later on the island.

His wife said that, after he had done as he was told and gone away - a surge of more then ten further people swarmed into the lifeboat. That's how it will happen, be it train, car, coach, ship or plane.

[fyrefli]

The quip she came back with could perhaps have been left out

Oh, it was my quip - I was trying to politely and gently bring to her attention the question of relative probabilities :)

In an evacuation I honestly think that your stick would not have been of any use whatsoever.

Apart from bashing people in my way over the head with it :D

Past incidents have shown that evacuations can be very aggressive, particularly where smoke and fire is present, and it's my opinion that your stick would have been more of an hinderence. You sound mentally fit and strong which would probably do you more good in such a cirumstance.

Fair comment. My concern was less for me and more for the person I would have been blocking in to a window seat.

I would side with the F/A as it could actually cause you injury if your head was to jerk forward

Not unless I were to disassemble the seat first / become a contortionist ;) When folded, the longest part is less than a foot long, so it was totally within the pocket.