Funny times…
WE GOT TO USE THE FIRE ESCAPE…the fire alarm went off but they were making the dinner for conference so we kind of figured that there must have been smoke or something. So Jenny had the great idea of using our fire escape ladder that goes all the way down to the street outside (just like on the movies, like in NY or Spiderman) and Elliot brought her video camera!! :) the best part is that when the actual alarm went off my other roommate Alex was out in the hall talking to her mom and started freaking out because she didn’t know what was happening!!! Hahahaha she swung open the door and yelled “What is that noise?! What should we do??!!! (Keeps repeating again and again) Where should we go?!” Let’s just say Alex doesn’t do well in emergency situations, even if they aren’t real! :)
What a great story! It is especially funny, because using the fire escape is a big no-no for not only the Center, but for most buildings, including hotels. Typical UK fire escapes are often not tested on a regular basis and maintenance falls behind so there are perceived and real safety issues. We often think about how we would act in a real emergency, but until it actually occurs, often interesting personality traits are revealed.
ReplyDeleteI was in awe while standing in my office with a couple of visitors in Redmond, WA during a significant earthquake. I was in awe, because the building started rocking, alarms sounding, some people screamed, but I said in a fairly loud voice, “This is awesome!” I had a big grin on my face. One of the visitors was already under the table with her hands over her head and after several attempts in telling me to get under the table, she reached out to grab me to pull me in. Her motherly instincts took over. I set out to make sure the rest of my team was leaving the building and making sure that no one had totally freaked out and couldn’t move. I did not feel a sense of urgency to exit the building until someone yelled, “The gas pipes have broken!” I stopped to help a few others out of the building. I later found out that the person who yelled the pipes were broke had simply shortened an overheard conversation where someone commented, “I hope the gas pipes are earthquake resilient.” Sometimes people take the alarmist point of view while others remain calm. In the end, both voices are important, because when balanced, we tend to be more rational. Most emergency professionals will suggest that every alarm should be considered a “real” alarm. If I am ever in an emergency situation, I want to be with you for you will keep peace amidst the chaos.