So here I sit...

T

train

Guest
During all my years of staying in Hotels, or being in office buildings... This is the first time I have been in one where the fire alarm has actually gone off and it not be a drill of some sort...

Surprised this is a 5-star hotel and this is occurring at 4:30 in the morning, I am glad to know the system works.

As I got up and grabbed the necessities (I always carrry a lot of vital company information with - laptop, documents, etc..) and some clothes, I open the door and make my way out...

I greet the first couple I see good morning, and continue down the hallway...

Sadly, everything I hear from those in the hallway and going down the stairs is that they should get a free night for this, or if there are no fire trucks, should we really have to go?...

Amazing how if people really thought about it, these things taught in elementary school could save a life...

More amazing that things like this people see as a bother, rather than something saving their life...

The lobby is filled with everyone in the hotel, and though everyone seems calm - it's interesting to note how much people mention the material things that they left behind...

(The hotel just made an announcement that the threat doesn't exist... What's even more surprising is that the Fire department never showed up...)

Though I enjoy the things I have in life, and it would be nice to keep them, why is it that some feel an attachment for something as minor as a shaver, or clothes, etc. - especially when their "life is on the line?..."

I got up, grabbed what I had to, and got out...

What would you have done?

(Notice - though I haven't been here much - I come to a place of solace (for me)... the CPA...)
 
S

Spiderman

Administrator
Staff member
I haven't been in that situation, aside from drills at work, but I guess I would have done the same - grabbed whatever I could carry and get out. I don't see why you wouldn't leave...
 
T

train

Guest
People were actually asking others in the hallway..

"Do they really want us to go down?..."

I just kept walking and telling people good morning... They kind of looked at me oddly - but I didn't have any interest in possibly being buried with strangers...
 
E

EricBess

Guest
Its sort of sad that it turned out to be a false alarm, if only for the fact that those people aren't going to appreciate it. Not to say I wanted all your stuff to burn down, train ;), but I've seen (and been in) situations where a small kitchen or garbage can fire is quickly put under control, but everyone is glad that the fire alarm went off because the situation could have very quickly and easily gone the other way.

I try not to keep anything unrecoverable in any one place. I have software I've written, for example, on two or three different computers. If I lose a computer, I might lose a bit of work, but I won't have to start from scratch.

I think it's human nature to try to grab the "most important" stuff, but in a real emergency, you don't know how much time you have and the most important stuff is you and your life. Everything else might be incredibly inconvenient or a pain to replace, but if you don't get out, none of it will matter anyway.
 
T

train

Guest
I totally agree...

For me it was just a matter of throwing on clothes, grabbing the laptop bag - and heading out...

to them it seemed such a bother...

Honestly, it took me about a minute to do all that, and then there was no question except get out of the building...
 
N

Nightstalkers

Guest
We're the ones you see clamboring for the fire extinguishers so that we may use them to beat everyone else in the head that would come near our cubicles... We kick away flaming people because... well.... we're not going to waste our precious fire extinguisher to put out Bob in Accounting. Who in their right mind would put out Bob from Accounting?! He's the main reason why the company doesn't owe me $1,000 of my salary!!!

Anyways.... if you work where we do... you'll know... We're the only ones who were given the full week to "customize" the office...
 
T

train

Guest
I missed the we talk Nightstalkers... nice to see it again...

But if you let Bob in Accounting burn - how would you ever be cheated out of more of your money?
 
N

Nightstalkers

Guest
Alice in human resources still makes sure of it...


and she's kinda.... umm.... we believe she's a little too safety oriented... if a fire, biological attack, or even a nuclear attack occurs, her office will be the safest place.
 
E

EricBess

Guest
Why do I get the impression you spend far too much time in her office, even without those disasters?
 
N

Nightstalkers

Guest
We make use of her special teflon coated door... We spend some of our lunch hours completely covering her door in sharpie notes and other stuff... only to have her take a klenex to it and wipe it right off.

Lemme see.... Alex works in a big snowglobe, my "cubicle" is in the shape of a five pointed star, and the boss randomly drops by with a bottle of coke or pepsi....


We must find where he gets the drinks from.... they.... appear.... out of... nowhere...
 
O

orgg

Guest
"The threat does not exist" doesn't mean "False Alarm."

It means "We had a kitchen fire, and we got it put out, but it could've been a threat if we didn't put it out."

That happened when I was in Highschool at one point. Amazingly, only a few people jumpped up, picked up their stuff from the walkway, and jogged to the nearest exit.

I was one of the three.
 
Oversoul

Oversoul

The Tentacled One
As far as I know, they still do this in the Kent School District (they started in the mid-90's and did it all the way through my senior year)...

The state (or somebody) requires them to have a fire drill at least once every month. So, on the last school day of every month, there is a fire drill. Sometimes the teachers even knew exactly when it would be and would tell us. After a while, I didn't see a single person taking it seriously. I'd even hold the door open and muffle the alarm with my hand until the rest of my class got out.
 
T

train

Guest
Exactly Orgg!...

I mean - what if, some idiot, during a drill, started a real one...

If you were operating under it is a "drill" you would most likely perish with your fellows...
 
N

Nightstalkers

Guest
They took the stove out of the lunchroom.... so we don't really start any large fires anymore.


Although, we have figured out a way to use the wok still.... and then there's the incident with the exploding microwave... yeah, tinfoil is a metal....
 
N

Nightstalkers

Guest
Or maybe Chipotle isn't that great of a place to have leftovers from...
 
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