What Do Scary Secret Codes In Announcements On the London Underground Mean?

Bank Station exit sign. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

 I was exiting from Bank station, in London, when I heard an announcement, Code 4. What's that? Something so bad they have to keep it a secret!

I was alarmed. My mind raced through scenarios. Was it a bomb? A madman going berserk? A drunk? A body on the line? At this station! Further along the line? A drunk. A man with a knife?  A fight? A fire? Did I need to run out of the station? Look for an exit? 

Later, back at my desk, I looked up the codes. Most of them are not nearly so alarming. Just numbers about spills, needing cleaning, which will be in one place and probably nowhere near you.

Why not be more specific if there is danger? In one case, tecthere was a false alarm when somebody shouted fire in the USA, and in the stampede to evacuate, more than 70 people died. 

So, if you hear code 4, no need to panic. Don't run. Don't change direction. Don't worry. Keep calm. Carry on. As my husband says, 'It's not your problem'.

Useful Website

https://peoplesafe.co.uk/blogs/5-secret-emergency-codes-to-alert-employees/#:~:text=Doctor%20Brown&text=Although%20the%20exact%20phrase%20used,that%20the%20attacker%20is%20armed.

https://www.timeout.com/london/blog/eight-london-underground-codes-and-what-they-actually-mean-061416