Way back when I was working in a library (think old building, 12 stores plus a 5 story bell tower on top of that, filled with a couple of million books -- basically 2 million pieces of dried wood) the alarms used to go off fairly regularly due to tests, drills, and actual emergencies. I had one of those new and very fancy little flashlights called a MiniMag that I had to use often. The building was a lightning magnet and was struck at least once a year. I once saw a thermal sensor head literally melted into a puddle by a lightning strike but it still had done its job and set off the alarm.
At any rate, during a storm there's a huge BOOM! followed by the fire alarm, and then darkness, and it happens just about as fast as it takes to read this. I knew exactly what was going on.
The floor I am on at the time is windowless and with very little emergency lighting. Since I am on the fire squad, I know the building well, know the response time and level of the fire department (several minutes but with a heck of a lot of trucks -- it's the number one rated fire response building in the city at the time), and know how purely stupid the people at the university are in any sort of trouble.
So, there's a bunch of about ten people staring at an emergency exit, but no one moves toward the door. They're just standing and staring. Then, like now, I am the only one with any sort of a flashlight. I tell them, "Just push the bar and go. There's an alarm on the door but that's OK." "Oh, no. We can't do that, can we?," they ask and still just stand there. After about three seconds I whack the bar and set off the door alarm (loud and really nasty sound), and say, "There, it works that way. The exit is two flights up. Go. We're wasting time." No one moves. OK, this is getting annoying, so I scream as loud and wild as I can, "YEEE HAW!!! GET ALONG LIL' DOGGIES!" and shove and we're finally moving.
There was a very, very small fire that was out before the fire department arrived, but in a "real" fire those people would have stayed there until they died because they could not think or move for themselves.
In another lightning strike in the same building I was in the front of the building keeping people from coming back in and waiting for the fire department to show up. A grad student walks in, and I tell him we're closed due to an emergency. "It's OK, I've got my office keys," he says. Huh? Did he really just say that? I tell him, "No, you don't understand, the building actually is on fire." He says, "Don't be an a**hole. I'm going upstairs to my office," and tries to walk past me. Now I'm pissed. I guess that by standing toe to toe with him and my nose about an inch away from his I got his attention. It finally really sinks in when Security and the fire department walk in about then. I told him, "No, you're not going in because I don't like the stink of burnt flesh, do not do identifications of charred corpses, and I hate ****in' paperwork." He still cusses us out. They had to threaten him with arrest to get the idiot to finally leave. The fireman thought my response to him was just about perfect, but wondered what would have happened if this genius had a few more people with him and there was a serious fire? "Sheep barbecue," I told them.
I'm definitely no hero, but I've got training and tools to use in a bad situation, and am willing to use them. But it would greatly peave me to find myself injured or killed trying to save the life or lives of complete idiots. The 911 Report reaffirmed somethings I already knew -- those with the tools and the training stand a better chance of surviving, but will probably get hurt or killed trying to save those who don't have a clue.
Here's how I sum up recommendations from the report on the attack on the WTC: Be prepared. Think. Be aware. Act. Be firm. Move. Be strong.
At any rate, during a storm there's a huge BOOM! followed by the fire alarm, and then darkness, and it happens just about as fast as it takes to read this. I knew exactly what was going on.
The floor I am on at the time is windowless and with very little emergency lighting. Since I am on the fire squad, I know the building well, know the response time and level of the fire department (several minutes but with a heck of a lot of trucks -- it's the number one rated fire response building in the city at the time), and know how purely stupid the people at the university are in any sort of trouble.
So, there's a bunch of about ten people staring at an emergency exit, but no one moves toward the door. They're just standing and staring. Then, like now, I am the only one with any sort of a flashlight. I tell them, "Just push the bar and go. There's an alarm on the door but that's OK." "Oh, no. We can't do that, can we?," they ask and still just stand there. After about three seconds I whack the bar and set off the door alarm (loud and really nasty sound), and say, "There, it works that way. The exit is two flights up. Go. We're wasting time." No one moves. OK, this is getting annoying, so I scream as loud and wild as I can, "YEEE HAW!!! GET ALONG LIL' DOGGIES!" and shove and we're finally moving.
There was a very, very small fire that was out before the fire department arrived, but in a "real" fire those people would have stayed there until they died because they could not think or move for themselves.
In another lightning strike in the same building I was in the front of the building keeping people from coming back in and waiting for the fire department to show up. A grad student walks in, and I tell him we're closed due to an emergency. "It's OK, I've got my office keys," he says. Huh? Did he really just say that? I tell him, "No, you don't understand, the building actually is on fire." He says, "Don't be an a**hole. I'm going upstairs to my office," and tries to walk past me. Now I'm pissed. I guess that by standing toe to toe with him and my nose about an inch away from his I got his attention. It finally really sinks in when Security and the fire department walk in about then. I told him, "No, you're not going in because I don't like the stink of burnt flesh, do not do identifications of charred corpses, and I hate ****in' paperwork." He still cusses us out. They had to threaten him with arrest to get the idiot to finally leave. The fireman thought my response to him was just about perfect, but wondered what would have happened if this genius had a few more people with him and there was a serious fire? "Sheep barbecue," I told them.
I'm definitely no hero, but I've got training and tools to use in a bad situation, and am willing to use them. But it would greatly peave me to find myself injured or killed trying to save the life or lives of complete idiots. The 911 Report reaffirmed somethings I already knew -- those with the tools and the training stand a better chance of surviving, but will probably get hurt or killed trying to save those who don't have a clue.
Here's how I sum up recommendations from the report on the attack on the WTC: Be prepared. Think. Be aware. Act. Be firm. Move. Be strong.
