Twinkle, twinkle

Quick: What’s the acronym for using a fire extinguisher correctly?

Time’s up.

Unless you're a fireman, it’s rare to know that PASS–Pull, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep–is the prescribed way to safely extinguish a fire, and the reason is simple.

It’s not drilled into us. If anything, it’s buried in workplace safety manuals, mentioned briefly during orientation, and then forgotten until there’s smoke in the air.

Not like stop, drop and roll–which, despite not being an acronym, people seem to remember from the time they’re five. Reason being the rhyme is short and sticky–and repeated often enough it lives permanently in our heads.

That’s the power of repetition and simplicity. Messages that are easy to say and picture–when repeated–are impossible to forget. That’s why you can hum the tune of the alphabet song, recite “Twinkle, Twinkle,” or instantly recall “stop, drop, and roll,” decades later.

PASS never had the same cultural push, and so most people draw a blank when they need it most.

The same goes for other critical safety procedures we draw a blank on. CPR steps, exit routes, proper ladder safety–if we don't rehearse them (let alone make them easy to remember) they fade from memory entirely.

The fix is simple: Say it aloud, make it memorable (and/or make rhyme) and repeat it ad nauseum.

The more you hear it, the more likely it’ll become second nature–which is exactly what you want when seconds count.