Jun
23
Why you really must take part in that fire drill!
Filed Under Leadership, Personal awareness, travel, World of Work
As I have mentioned before I am an obeyer of rules. On my flights last week I listened to the safety briefing from the cabin crew and I read the safety leaflet “in the seat pocket in front of me” because the Captain said I should. I expect that if airlines ever get to the stage where they do not think there was any point in this they would stop mentioning it!
Fire drills in the workplace can be a nuisance. I had to hang up on a client at a particularly tricky part of a conversation to take part in a fire drill. ( mind you the small break for each of us meant that we reached a conclusion more quickly than we might have otherwise..). And drills always seem to happen when the weather outside is at its worst.
These drills are there for a purpose too and after reading an article entitled “Staying Alive” in the Times this weekend it is all really clear to me.
Amanda Ripley has written a book based on 7 years research into how people “respond to extreme events” which evolved after - as a journalist - she was covering the aftermath of 9/11. She says that ” we vastly underestimate our survival chances” - which is great news.
What is even better is that she can tell us how to increase our chances of surviving.
She says that some people go blank in times of crisis - so add “freeze” to fight or flight - and that is no good at all. Our brains don’t function well when we are under extreme pressure so “familiarity and knowledge” which comes with drills can short circuit the paralysis response.
Last year I trained with our local Fire and Rescue service. Wearing full protective clothing and breathing apparatus we went into a burning building. The blackness of the smoke meant that for much of the time there was zero visibility and we worked round the room using the tips and techniques the firefighters had trained us in. Believe me - there can be nothing darker than a room full of smoke. So if you ever find yourself in that situation knowing your environment well enough to locate an exit would be critical. So by taking part in the drill you will have that information stored in your memory.
And by listening the the cabin crew you will know where your nearest exit is - not where you think it might be!
Ripley says that in real situations panic is rare. For those of us basing our fears on the disaster movies where someone - usually a women I have noticed - goes into panic mode and puts everyone else in danger that is good to know.
If you have time I urge you to read the full article ( link above). I found it enormously uplifting and encouraging. I will buy Amanda’s book.
