Fire Drills
I've never worked in a really big building, a building with thousands of people. That's why I suppose I've never experienced fire drills like the ones we have at Law R Us.
Fire drills are done by floors and are spread out over a day or two. If the alarm goes off on the floor you're currently on, even if you're just standing in line for coffee, you have to go outside. Security does a sweep to make sure people evacuate the building.
Once you're outside you stand around until the security guys let you back in. The drills are in the spring and fall so it's not too punishing but I would have liked to have my coat today. If you're outside for any other reason (e.g., coming back from lunch), you have to wait outside until the fire drill people are allowed back in.
It's possible to have to go outside for multiple fire drills. You may be caught in a fire drill when you're at your desk on the first floor in the morning, then another an hour later while you're in a meeting on the fourth floor, then another two hours later while you're talking to someone on the third floor. There are people that claim that has happened to them many times over the years.
Of course there's also the urge to cheat. I was on the fourth floor in a class today when the fire alarm went off. We started down the stairs and I'm pretty sure I saw one of my classmates quickly go through the door to the third floor which already had it's fire drill.
There's a potentially funny situation when the basement evacuates--there are shower rooms down there. I was using one of those shower rooms to change into my soccer kit on Wednesday when I saw a sign that said "Fire Drill on this level, Thursday at 8:15. You will have to evacuate the building!" Okay, no problem for the drill but if there was a real fire...
That reminds me of the 911 instructions. We call an internal emergency number so our security people can call 911, then meet the ambulance/firefighters at the main entrance so they can direct them to the exact area where there's a problem. There are five or six buildings and lots of doors so I suppose it makes sense.
Fire drills are done by floors and are spread out over a day or two. If the alarm goes off on the floor you're currently on, even if you're just standing in line for coffee, you have to go outside. Security does a sweep to make sure people evacuate the building.
Once you're outside you stand around until the security guys let you back in. The drills are in the spring and fall so it's not too punishing but I would have liked to have my coat today. If you're outside for any other reason (e.g., coming back from lunch), you have to wait outside until the fire drill people are allowed back in.
It's possible to have to go outside for multiple fire drills. You may be caught in a fire drill when you're at your desk on the first floor in the morning, then another an hour later while you're in a meeting on the fourth floor, then another two hours later while you're talking to someone on the third floor. There are people that claim that has happened to them many times over the years.
Of course there's also the urge to cheat. I was on the fourth floor in a class today when the fire alarm went off. We started down the stairs and I'm pretty sure I saw one of my classmates quickly go through the door to the third floor which already had it's fire drill.
There's a potentially funny situation when the basement evacuates--there are shower rooms down there. I was using one of those shower rooms to change into my soccer kit on Wednesday when I saw a sign that said "Fire Drill on this level, Thursday at 8:15. You will have to evacuate the building!" Okay, no problem for the drill but if there was a real fire...
That reminds me of the 911 instructions. We call an internal emergency number so our security people can call 911, then meet the ambulance/firefighters at the main entrance so they can direct them to the exact area where there's a problem. There are five or six buildings and lots of doors so I suppose it makes sense.
posted by changingagain at 8:25 PM
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