Well, I get a vest

[jethrien]

I've just gotten designated my area's evacuation warden. Such a title apparently comes with a spiffy day-glo orange vest.

I now know that in the case of a Virginia Tech style shooting, I officially allowed to lock myself with my coworkers in my boss' office and cower under his desk. Which was pretty much my unofficial plan anyway.

Comments

[cubby-t-bear.livejournal.com]

Interesting. So far as I know, we have no plans to deal with anything like that at UT. The message that came out after the VT shootings basically amounted to "cower and panic."

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

I've been a fire warden for years. The only practical difference this makes is that I have to sign in in the morning. And I have a hat.

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's pretty damn stupid of them.

Our plan actually is more detailed than what I wrote here - there's a special siren, some carefully noted differences from our fire evacuation procedures, and a lot of emphasis placed on using our own judgement on whether escape or hunkering down is the wiser choice. (After all, the museum is three city blocks long. If someone starts something on the other side of the building, I'd be a lot safer quickly getting out of the building than waiting until a shooter made his way over to my side.) It's really not a bad plan at all. I was just vaguely amused.

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

I was a fire warden at my old job. I didn't even get the hat.

[edgehopper.livejournal.com]

I imagine the actual response at UT would involve a student, staff member, or faculty member drawing their concealed weapon and halting the massacre at a lower number than usual.

[cubby-t-bear.livejournal.com]

Weapons not allowed on campus. Anybody who did that would be arrested.

[jeths-mom.livejournal.com]

What is it about you that makes you the "fire warden" type? Are you supposed to be in charge of who gets into the office after you've locked the door? And how are you supposed to do your job without a hat?

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

I'm the most junior person, so when they ask the group for a fire warden, everyone else says "not it!" and I'm stuck being it?

I'm supposed to check the bathroom on the way out and make sure everyone actually leaves.

While I don't get a hat, I do get the aforementioned vest.

[deltagrl.livejournal.com]

Wow, cool. Btw, I saw your Bat Mitzvah dress, and it was gorgeous!

[jeths-mom.livejournal.com]

Well, see, as your mom, I'm not sure that in an emergency I'd like to imagine that you're going to your desk looking for said vest (which then makes you a bright orange target), and stopping in rest rooms along the way to the EXIT. EXIT being the key word here.

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

I don't have to come back to the office if I'm not in the office already. If I'm in the office, then the bathrooms and everyone else are on my way out. I grab people as I go, shove them out the door, and am out the building about as fast as I would be if I wasn't warden.

Also, I think the chances of our particular office catching fire disastrously are relatively low.