In the ESCAPE protocol used by flight attendants, what is the first element?

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In an in-flight emergency, the priority is to establish a safe path to evacuate passengers. The first element in the ESCAPE protocol is Exits because you must identify which doors or openings are actually usable and unobstructed before you can do anything else. Knowing where the exits are and whether they can be used (doors, overwing exits, slide availability, obstructions) sets the foundation for the entire evacuation plan. Once you’ve confirmed usable exits, you can move on to signals to alert passengers, commands to direct them toward the exits in an orderly fashion, and ongoing assessment to adapt to changing conditions. Without a clear understanding of available exits, directing people or issuing instructions could lead them toward blocked or unsafe routes.