Kids, Don't Play With Fire!

[c9]

On the occasion of my first fire-alarm-related evacuation from our building, I present my list of things I would love to save, but did not actually gather today:

• the husband
• the cats
• the photo albums
• the important files in the filing cabinet

Taking these in order, here's why none of them actually accompanied me out of the building:

• leapfish is in Fredericton, so I suspect he's a safe distance from the building
• the cats hate their carriers, so I chose today to leave them home while I evacuated rather than subject them to the agony of their carriers and the outdoors, betting that even if it was a real fire, it was on a different floor and they'd be OK. I was very worried and spent about a minute considering this. But I did check the floor for smoke and general panic, reasoning that if the fire was on this floor I would be able to tell. Probably a foolish assumption on my part.
• the photo albums are very unwieldy, so I put them in the same "probably just fine" category. This reminds me to come up with a better backup system for our digital photos too.
• Which files to take? I don't even know what's important in there. I better think about this, maybe cluster those ones at the front or something. Or better yet, fireproof safe time maybe.

I was actually kinda startled by the alarm, it was a loud school-type alarm bell, but ringing in bursts, not constantly. I looked out the door and saw curious neighbours doing the same. I put on my shoes and jacket, looked out the window for any people already outside, unplugged the TV and stereo, petted the cats and told them to stay safe, grabbed my keys and cell phone, and hit the stairs. I left the condo unlocked which helps the firefighters but also helps thieves. Downstairs almost the entire evacuee population milled around in the lobby, rather than outside in the rain and cold. The building's median age is easily 65+, so it was like going to a church supper or a bingo game or something. I chatted with the board president and some board members we know. Out of roughly 65 units in the building, I counted only about 35 people outside. Some people were using the lobby intercom to call upstairs and talk to people who had not evacuated. Nice.

I guess I better make a plan, just like they say in school when they're talking fire safety. Damnit. I was hoping to get out of that extra homework. In roughly order of importance:

• find leapfish, place near front door.
• put cats in carriers that are stored near door. Carriers each have a can of cat food in them already, and a comfy towel.
• grab both cell phones, ID, camera and keys
• turn off everything you can reach quickly
• close all windows and doors
• grab emergency overnight bag, stored in front hall closet (still to be created)
• put laptop and ac adapter in backpack or emergency overnight bag (it has copies of all digital photos)
• if time, grab duffel bag stored in closet beside photo albums, and stuff them into it
• carry overnight bag, duffel bag, and two cat carriers out the door, down five flights of stairs, and outside.

Looks reasonable. I suppose it's having a plan that matters, not the quality of it at first. I always tell my students that procedures that aren't written down are useless, because everyone is just making them up. Once they're written down, they can be changed. Until then, it's all just make-believe.

Finally, I just want to complain in general about the severe lack of cute fire safety imagery out there. Damn you, Fire Safety Councils of Canada and the US! The London Fire Brigade, Mesa Community College in Arizona, and (oddly) Simian Fever came to my rescue though.

OK, enough procrastination. Time to get stuff done before the weekend is over.

Comments

[zedinbed.livejournal.com]

Aren't you being a bit too over-cautious?

But then again, there's no such thing as too much caution. Or is there? :p

[c9.livejournal.com]

:-) It just got me thinking, that's all. My laziness will take over and I won't even think about this again for months, I'm sure.

Cam

[petele.livejournal.com]

Giggle...

You don't know Cam all that well. He is a smart and very prepared camper. Or at least plans to be a prepared camper...

Re: Cam

[c9.livejournal.com]

Hey! I resemble that remark!

Re: Cam

[petele.livejournal.com]

and thats why we love you!

[primary-suspect.livejournal.com]

When Jo and I lived in the condo which was 20 stories I think, we were on the 17th (ie: 16th) floor. The fire panel malfunctioned, of course at 3am, and the alarm went off. I think in our building everyone except a few are in their 60s or older. So after waking up, we made the trip down 16 flights of stairs. We were impressed that the fire trucks were arrive as we walked outside so either they got there really fast or it took us a long time to go down the stairs...

On the outside, I think there was maybe a total of 2 other couples that bothered to come out. If there was real fire I have a feeling there would be lots of BBQ geezers in that building.

[purplemartini.livejournal.com]

Cam, I want to commend your planning. As a disaster services volunteer I know the importance of good planning can mean the difference between major crisis and minor inconvience. I've often considered that we need to have a more comprehensive evactuation plan ourselves. In fact, we should be a whole lot better prepared I don't even think we could find a flashlight in an emergency.

[miket61.livejournal.com]

severe lack of cute fire safety imagery out there. Obviously, you haven't been to our Department of Homeland Security web site, ready.gov...

Or its many parodies, such as http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/blductandcover.htm#


If you have set yourself on fire, do not run.


If your building collapses, give yourself a blowjob while waiting to be rescued.

[c9.livejournal.com]

That first one was my LJ user icon for most of 2004, actually! But I did not visit ready.gov; I shall do so forthwith.

[miket61.livejournal.com]

This site has a few more:

http://ehacked.com/front_page/articles/us_government_anti_terrorist_warning/

Including:



In case of emergency, avoid buying ugly IKEA furniture.

[cap-hill-latte.livejournal.com]

The high rise I lived in in downtown Seattle had a bizarrely advanced fire safety system. The alarm was a horn-ish sound accompanied by a voice saying over (and over and over and over) “there is an emergency in the building, please evacuate”. * It could be triggered by the smoke alarms in the hallway, but I only heard it once in the 18 months I lived there so I think it only sounded on the floors surrounding the one where the alarm was tripped.

*On the contrary the alarms at work are, possibly, the most annoying sound on earth. There is no danger of anyone staying in their offices once they go off – the only reaction to that sound is to get the hell as far away from it as possible before your ears start to bleed.