Fire Drill brings out the SCs

[Ree]

This was the first fire drill we've ever had.

It all had to be cordinated with the fire department, so it took several months to actually complete it.

There were 2 other dates booked, but something always came up and the fire department wasn't available so it had to be rescheduled.

We did pretty good.
I think it only took about 15 minutes.
Then again, it was a Monday and we didn't have full staff on.

The store wasn't busy either.

[PepperElf]

We had a fire drill today.

I admit though... I do find it odd that a store would authorize a fire drill during business hours.

I can see running one maybe an hour or two before the store opens as training for the employees and testing the stem... But during normal business hours.... it just seems like a bit of a sales risk to me. An open store that's preventing sales and encouraging customers to shop elsewhere etc...


Granted I see you had to coordinate with the FD and only had to do it for 15 minutes. It still could mean a loss for your company.


Is this a state rule about the drill, or a company rule? (Cos I'm thinking perhaps it could be a suggestion for your higher-ups if it's the latter)

We had a customer passout in the craft store and while tending to her and waiting for the paramedics people were bitching that they couldn't get to the cake decorations behind where she was laying. They wanted to keep shopping over her.

Makes you want to say... "What if it was YOU there. You'd want to be helped right away, not left to die just because some wench wanted to shop."

selfish jerks

[Ree]

I admit though... I do find it odd that a store would authorize a fire drill during business hours.

Well, since we can't time the actual fires to occur during non-business hours, don't you think it makes sense to run a drill at a time when we would actually be in a realistic scenario?

It's one thing to pretend that we are looking for customers in a closed store, but doesn't it make more sense to actually have to practice assisting customers and making sure the store is clear?

And, since I am in Canada, it would be a safety issue regulated by my Province, under the "Workplace Health and Safety" program.

[Lace Neil Singer]

All the stores I've worked at that have had fire drills, they have always been in business hours. They only take what, twenty minutes? That is, if everyone co-operates. However, if customers bitch and moan, it takes way longer. So customers only have themselves to blame if their shopping is interrupted.

[Ironclad Alibi]

One time at my ofice building, a suspicious package was seen stuck in some pipes in a stairwell. It was suspected of being a bomb, and the building was evacuated. During the evacuation, someone coming down the stairs grabbed the package and ran out with it. He had put it there earlier so he could sneak out of work early.

I don't know why they allowed that stairwell to be used during the evacuation as sometimes stairwells are closed off for fire drills.

[MoonCat]

The last fire drill we had at work, a bunch of us got all the way to the first floor and discovered that we couldn't get the exit door open. We had to turn around, go back up 2 flights, go through another floor and out another exit.

You bet your butt THAT got taken care of immediately after we got back inside the building. Turned out the door was stuck, not locked, but if it had been a real fire...ye gods. I will give mgmt props, though, as soon as they found out what happened, they got maintenance onto it.

[dalesys]

I remember a bomb threat when I was at college; the entire complex, consisting of the college, an adult education centre and two schools, had to be evacuated.

I and my fellow students went down the pub and had a rip roaring party that went on all afternoon. To get blasted, of course.

Editted for truth.

[Pharm Girl]

When I first started at the first nursing home I worked at we had a fire drill, as required by law. At some point it became obvious to me that in the event of a real fire it would be pretty much impossible to get all the residents out. I spent the next 15 minutes in the bathroom crying hysterically. It is a shame people do not think about what they do in emergencies, not everything is a drill. Better to treat the drill as real than a real situation as a drill and blow it off.

[mattm04]

I have been at work when we had small fire.

For reasons I could never understand, many customers refused to leave immideatley. One even asked how I know it was fire. Well, the red thing on the wall and ceiling that say "FIRE" have a flashing light and make a lot of noise are going off, oh and the voice telling us to evacuate.

Despite two fire trucks parked out front, a FD SUV and police car, people still tried to enter. Yes, they even tried to walk under the "FIRE LINE - DO NOT CROSS" tape. It was refreshing to see them get yelled at by the Police for their little stunt.

[sweetj82]

Our electrical room was sparking and making weird noises. We evacuated the store. I was working the customer service desk and as I was walking away people came up demanded to be checked out than they wanted all the stuff for free.

I just said sorry we gotta go. They were pissed.

[50 mission cap]

Previous employer, as a helpdesk agent, i sat through no fewer than 5 fire drills in a year, had to keep taking the phone calls. Half the time the user would ask what the noise was. I usually told them that the building was on fire. Cue the audible blink, and they would ask if it was a drill. Then ask me why we weren't participating in fire safety. The usual response was I would have a heart attack from the 15 flights of stairs. That got giggles.

I work at a call centre, but we have tell the caller to callback if the alarm goes off. We dont know its a drill until after. Similar to what other have mentioned on here regarding stores, I am not staying in a 10 floor building when the alarm goes off.

[strawbabies]

I don't know why they allowed that stairwell to be used during the evacuation as sometimes stairwells are closed off for fire drills.

How were people not on the first floor supposed to get out, then?

[downforit2008]

What a stupid, retard customer. "You'll do ANYTHING to get out of work!" Well, what if a REAL fire breaks out? Will the customer be saying the same thing as flames lick at the merchandise on the shelves? I suppose it'll be the same customer who would pass out from smoke inhalation in such an event, have a paramedic or fireman revive the customer through CPR, and then SUES the poor person for "molestation."

If a fire starts at my store, I prefer that such customers of this grade stay inside and be burned alive, because how could anyone miss someone like them???

[Draper Mel]

Who knows? Your store might be on fire because a plane crashed into it!

Like yesterday in Florida: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sec...cal&id=8606355

[Jay 2K Winger]

There was a fire scare at the wholesale club. We got all of this kind of crap from the people we had to evacuate while the fire department came and put out the mulch fire.

The closest thing I've had to do at the IT service desk job was when we had to deal with the earthquake last summer. Most of the customers we deal with work in the DC area, and also evacuated their buildings. The few that weren't were understanding when we got back on the lines and explained what had happened.