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After Vegas Massacre, How to Increase Your Odds of Survival If a Gunman Opens Fire Into Open Area

Security expert Steve Kardian showed Inside Edition tactics to increase your chances of getting out alive.

If gunshots erupted during an outdoor concert or festival, would you know what to do to get out alive?

Security Expert Steve Kardian gave Inside Edition tips on what to do should you find yourself in a situation like what happened in Las Vegas Sunday night at the Route 91 Harvest festival.

Read: Guests Next Door to Las Vegas Gunman Stephen Paddock Recall Hiding in Bushes for 3 Hours

"Visualize, mentally prepare," Kardian said. "'What would I do if? What would the crisis be?’ Think about it. Look for the exits. Think about what you are going to do if it happens, fold it up and put it in your back pocket and enjoy yourself."

Many fans at the Vegas music festival believed the initial gunshots were fireworks. Kardian says it's important to never assume that it is.

"Start moving, don’t wait," he said. "Every second you wait, that is additional shots that are fired, those are additional injuries and people that could be killed. Start moving right away. Start moving to the outskirts. Don’t run to the masses and don’t run where everyone else is running."

He advises hiding behind trees, monuments and statues, anywhere that can shield you from gunfire for a brief time. 

He also added to listen for a pause “that could be a sign that the shooter is reloading.”

Kardian said that during that eerie silence, you can get 40-50 feet, which is “the difference between living or dying.”

At the pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando last year, 49 people were killed in a tight compact space. In the case of the Vegas shooting, the gunman had a wide field of fire.

Read: Vegas Gunman Stephen Paddock's Family 'Dumbfounded' After Massacre

Shooter Stephen Paddock was on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel and the music festival stretched more than 15 acres on the ground below.

From his vantage point it was “like shooting fish in a barrel,” Kardian said, adding, "It was very easy for him to spray that weapon. That is why it is important that you break up. The bigger groups, the larger targets are what he is going to be shooting for.” 

Kardian says all that heavy firepower possessed by the Vegas shooter turned out to be his downfall.

"The guns he was using and the amount of ammunition, it was burning gunfire so, in essence, it is creating a fire and set off the fire alarm that alerted police officers to his exact room," Kardian said. 

Watch: Hundreds Donate Blood in the Wake Las Vegas' Mass Shooting: 'I Wanted to Do Something Right Now'