Grown-ups and Fire Drills

We all know the importance of our children knowing and understanding fire safety. We expect that they will have fire drills in school, have a discussion with a fireman on the importance of an action plan and what to do if you or your home catches on fire, and have a family meeting on what happens if the fire alarm sounds. But what about adults?

Is it necessary that adults go through the motions of completing a fire drill at work? Didn't we complete enough fire drills in our youth to be set for life? By the time you reach adulthood don't you know what a fire alarm sounds like and where to go if the building you are in catches on fire? If you don't, I'll help you out. The fire alarm is the loud screeching siren that doesn't stop, letting you know you are in danger and you need to get outside quickly. Now we all are informed on what to do during a fire emergency so what exactly is the point of a fire drill for knowledgeable adults?

I ask this because the other day while at work we had not one but two fire drills. I can't wrap my head around the importance of one fire drill and I got th privilege of participating in two on the same day!! I work in a two story building in which 40% of the exterior is covered in windows. I enter through the main entrance everyday which also happens to be my emergency exit. If the place goes up in flames, I'm fairly certain I can get out and if you can't see an obvious solution to getting out of this burning building than you my friend are a moron.

It was mid-October in Minnesota and the temperature was in the high 30's and someone decided it was a great time to have a fire drill. Always remember safety first. However, it would seem that the bigger safety concern was not how to get people out of the building during an emergency but rather how to treat frost bite after two 30 minute romps in the parking lot.

Now these fire drills are planned, obviously not by anyone who lives in Minnesota, so wouldn't you schedule them in...oh, I don't know April through September when you can be fairly certain that the weather will be cooperative when having your employees stand outside for an hour. Not to mention, as an employer wouldn't you prefer that the idiots that couldn't figure their way out of a burning building just expire. Obviously, these are not the best and brightest that one would want to staff their company with. I know that seems rather harsh but really it's just natural selection at its finest.

Perhaps they should start using fire drills as a way of weeding out the job pool candidates. If you are too stupid to figure out how to get out of a burning building you are too stupid to work here.