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Doug Copp's Triangle of Life Debunked!

(Disaster Management Alliance)

The devastating earthquakes, and constant aftershocks, in Haiti beginning January 12, 2010 have many people talking about the best precautions to take during an earthquake for personal protection. We received many questions about the Triangle of Life by Doug Copp.  We asked Mr. Kit Miyamoto, CEO of Miyamoto International, what his opinion is regarding the Triangle of Life.  Since Kit was busy helping out in Haiti his partner, Dr. Tom Chan, CEO of Global Risk Miyamoto, was very kind to respond. Dr. Chan looked into this issue 5-6 years ago for the City of Lafayette, California – where he is also a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) trainer and Public Safety Commissioner.  His comments and recommended references are as follows:

Doug Copp makes many exaggerated claims.  Here are a couple of links to articles about him:

• http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/12/terror/main628757.html      
• http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002085685_quakeadvice09.html       

Here are rebuttals from the American Red Cross, Los Angeles CERT and Structural Engineers Association of California:

• http://www2.bpaonline.org/Emergencyprep/arc-on-doug-copp.html  
• http://www.cert-la.com/RejoinderToDougCopp.pdf  
• http://www.seaonc.org/public/media/press_06.html

Search and rescue in the US is officially done by 28 USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) teams located throughout the country, not Copp's American Rescue Team International, a company he set up.  His "Triangle of Life" theory has been around for a while (he didn't invent it).