Fire Drill

[Kyung]

So you're in that high rise building and the fire alarm goes off.  Everybody, of course, just sits there and stares at each other for a minute.  You might even say, wait a minute, I didn't get that last answer/question.

 

Then, of course, you all have to agree to go off the record or stay on.  Once you're off the record, is it a real fire or just a drill. 

 

Seeing how it's attorneys and all, if it's real, you've probably already been engulfed by flames or your escape route has been cut off. 

 

Let's say it's a fire drill and you have to gather in some random parking lot 30 floors down.  Do you pack anything up (just in case)  or do you leave it all?

 

I usually take my purse and digital recorder  and try to close out my file.  I've tried to take my laptop with me.  But it's awkward to walk down five flights with an open laptop bec. I haven't had a chance to close down.

 

What do you guys take? 

 

Or do you just ignore it and keep going?

[Cathryn Bauer]

It's idiotic to ignore an alarm of any kind unless you know for a fact it's broken, being tested at that moment, or some such. 

 

I would announce at that point, "We're off the record," pick up my Lightspeed and the netbook I use for depos, and get myself out of there. 

 

One caveat:  if you are CARTing or there is a disabled person in the room, you have a moral obligation to see they're taken care of.  I read a horror story online about a CART provider who left her deaf client to fend for herself when a fire alarm went off. 

[Kelli Combs (admin)]

I take my purse and that's it.   If it is a real fire, you're not going to have time to pack everything up.   Those fire drills are so worthless.  If it is a real fire, everyone will panic and start running.  Mass chaos!

[Cathryn Bauer]

Clarification:  I wouldn't pack.  I just grab.  That was part of what I had in mind as I purchased my system, ease of exit.

[Mary Jo Cochran]

I worked as a legal assistant after I got out of court reporting.  Highrise buildings and we had fire drills. 

 

The rules are you get up and exit the building.  It doesn't matter if it's a planned drill.  The rules are made by the County (or City) Fire Marshall.  When everyone has exited a building, they sometimes do inspection.  An employee who ignores the drill can be fired.  An office can be fined (yes, FINED - like maybe $500) for offenses of ignoring a fire drill.  Leasors also need to read their lease.  Refusing to participate in a fire drill is reason to terminate a lease.

 

We always knew when there was a fire drill scheduled.  In all those years, I don't remember a depo going on.  I would think we would have planned for the drill with keeping those dates empty.

However, the rules were that when the drill starts, everyone gets up and leaves.  That included the attorneys and any office guests.  No attorney ever ignored a drill.

 

[Mary Jo Cochran]

The purpose of the fire drills:

1.  For the fire department to get an idea of how much time it would take to evacuate a FULL building (worst case scenario). 

2. To use as dryruns for the firemen (how well they responded, going through their routine).

 

[Mary Jo Cochran]

In the highrises, there IS ALWAYS a designated area for those who cannot take the walk down the many flights of stairs.  If you ever get in one of these fire drills, ask where that designated area is if you cannot make that walk.

 

 

[Janiece Young]

I've just had one drill that I remember.  It was in a library (we were using their conference room for the sworn statement).  It was so loud we had to stop.

We didn't leave the building b/c we went to the front desk and found out it was false.

Gosh, if I was in a high-rise building, I might take my computer.  If we had to walk down steps the very least thing I would do is back the file up on a flash drive and grab the exhibits.  I would take the flash drive and the exhibits w/ me.

I would take my purse and keys also.

[Mary Jo Cochran]

If you in a conference room in a highrise, you can ask for the Office Administrator.  Request the Conference Room be locked.  That can be done.