Our office has recently moved into a new building, a high-rise downtown. The building management recently contacted us about conducting Emergency preparedness sessions for all employees. We scheduled the sessions and I immediately got the question, “Do I really have to go to this?”

Yes.

I knew if I wavered, no one would show up, and then what would happen during an earthquake? No one would know where the emergency Snickers were and we’d all be cranky.

The facilitator began the session by explaining what to do in case of a fire. Only the two floors immediately above and below the affected floor are supposed to “re-locate.” Notice, I didn’t say evacuate. They don’t want people leaving the building. Just moving to another floor so the firemen can do their stuff. I don’t know about the rest of the staff, but if I’m in a burning building, and I’m smelling smoke, I’m getting out.

She continued by saying we would be notified about the fire by the fire alarm, which was the standard “California Whoop.”

Yes, her slide said, “California Whoop.”

At which point several of the male employees asked her to demonstrate the said alarm. They weren’t happy with her rendition, so the room was then filled with rowdy “Whoop — there she is! Whoooop!” yelled back and forth. I’m not sure how much was learned during the session, but it was most definitely my most entertaining meeting of the day.

I hope we never have an emergency.