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Mar. 18th, 2011 12:08 amSo, had some excitement last week. I was in class discussing something with my students (grammar, I think. It wasn't exactly memorable) when, suddenly, over the PA system I didn't even realised existed came this:
*whoopwhoop*"A fire alarm has been activated. Please wait for further instructions................*whoopwhoop*A fire alarm has been activated. Please wait for further instructions" *continuous loop*
Students: O.o o.O O.O
Me: Um.......*wanders over to the window to check for smoke*... well, I can't see anything. Everybody just relax, it's probably just a drill.
Students: A what?
Me: Practice for a real fire.... Just let me ask my boss if he knows anything.
I then walk to my door and poke my head around it just in time for my boss to come tearing out of his classroom with this panicked look on his face.
Okay...drill theory just went out the window.
He tells me to keep the students calm (something he was failing to do for himself) and he'd go find out what was going on. I head back into the classroom and proceed to lie my head off to the students "Don't worry guys. I can't see anything. It's probably just a random drill so we know what to do in a *real* emergency" I then get them to continue with the speaking activity while I go and rescue my handbag and textbooks from the teachers office in case we have to evacuate.
...what? They're at least $70 each. I've got about 5 of them, and one of them cost me $105! I wasn't letting them burn!
I put everything on my desk and put the books in a pile for easy pick-up. I re-assure my students (again) that it's probably just a drill since I couldn't see any smoke, but I was just grabbing my stuff anyway 'cause that's what I'd do in a real emergency.
Queue the boss poking his head around my door and asking to see me for a second.
Boss: Well, they don't know what's happening upstairs. There wasn't a schedualed drill today, so....if the siren changes to this constant 'Whooooooooop' noise get you students to go down the stairs in an orderly line and meet at the evacuation point. Don't forget to take your roll with you.
Um... nobody's told me where the evacuation point is!
Not 30 seconds after he finished that, the siren switches to the *Whoooooooooooooop* noise with this Please evacuate now thing. (Polite evactuation things. Who'da thunk it).
Boss goes white.
Long story short, we get out of the building to see fire engines parked outside with flashing lights (advantage to being literally 'round the corner to the Fire Station. They get to you fast) and Firemen in full get-up running around. I get directed to the evacuation point and attempt to keep my students calm and together. I ended up telling them a story about Polish fire drills to stop them from freaking out (Meanwhile I'm freaked out like you wouldn't believe. This thing was no drill!).
Still no sign of fire or smoke at this point, btw.
Long story short, it was a false alarm. The gym below had an installation fail. They were putting some new equipment in and the electritian wired it wrong. It started smoking and they couldn't turn the fire alarm off, hence the evacuation. This was the second time in 3 months that we've had to evacuate...though the last time was an evacuation of the entire city.
I was amused, but pissed at the same time. This was the second time in the last few months that my boss has left the calming of students up to me when we've had to evactuate the building (the last time was during the floods) while he's run around panicking.. Good in an emergency he ain't.
*whoopwhoop*"A fire alarm has been activated. Please wait for further instructions................*whoopwhoop*A fire alarm has been activated. Please wait for further instructions" *continuous loop*
Students: O.o o.O O.O
Me: Um.......*wanders over to the window to check for smoke*... well, I can't see anything. Everybody just relax, it's probably just a drill.
Students: A what?
Me: Practice for a real fire.... Just let me ask my boss if he knows anything.
I then walk to my door and poke my head around it just in time for my boss to come tearing out of his classroom with this panicked look on his face.
Okay...drill theory just went out the window.
He tells me to keep the students calm (something he was failing to do for himself) and he'd go find out what was going on. I head back into the classroom and proceed to lie my head off to the students "Don't worry guys. I can't see anything. It's probably just a random drill so we know what to do in a *real* emergency" I then get them to continue with the speaking activity while I go and rescue my handbag and textbooks from the teachers office in case we have to evacuate.
...what? They're at least $70 each. I've got about 5 of them, and one of them cost me $105! I wasn't letting them burn!
I put everything on my desk and put the books in a pile for easy pick-up. I re-assure my students (again) that it's probably just a drill since I couldn't see any smoke, but I was just grabbing my stuff anyway 'cause that's what I'd do in a real emergency.
Queue the boss poking his head around my door and asking to see me for a second.
Boss: Well, they don't know what's happening upstairs. There wasn't a schedualed drill today, so....if the siren changes to this constant 'Whooooooooop' noise get you students to go down the stairs in an orderly line and meet at the evacuation point. Don't forget to take your roll with you.
Um... nobody's told me where the evacuation point is!
Not 30 seconds after he finished that, the siren switches to the *Whoooooooooooooop* noise with this Please evacuate now thing. (Polite evactuation things. Who'da thunk it).
Boss goes white.
Long story short, we get out of the building to see fire engines parked outside with flashing lights (advantage to being literally 'round the corner to the Fire Station. They get to you fast) and Firemen in full get-up running around. I get directed to the evacuation point and attempt to keep my students calm and together. I ended up telling them a story about Polish fire drills to stop them from freaking out (Meanwhile I'm freaked out like you wouldn't believe. This thing was no drill!).
Still no sign of fire or smoke at this point, btw.
Long story short, it was a false alarm. The gym below had an installation fail. They were putting some new equipment in and the electritian wired it wrong. It started smoking and they couldn't turn the fire alarm off, hence the evacuation. This was the second time in 3 months that we've had to evacuate...though the last time was an evacuation of the entire city.
I was amused, but pissed at the same time. This was the second time in the last few months that my boss has left the calming of students up to me when we've had to evactuate the building (the last time was during the floods) while he's run around panicking.. Good in an emergency he ain't.
