The Chicks thought they knew all about responding to a disaster, since we had our very own home-brewed one in May 2010 when our building flooded. But, as it turns out, we know very little about responding to a disaster, at least if a survey we are now taking as part of the Office of Emergency Management is any indication.
The 27-page questionnaire is more about how we would respond to our own calamities at CRC than how to help others (which we got pretty dang good at, if I say so myself).
I am pondering these questions at the moment:
- What procedures do you follow in the event of an unwanted intruder? (Run away?)
- What procedures do you follow in the event of a bomb threat? (Hide under my desk?)
- Are your floors and ceilings fire retardant? (Floor is concrete so we’re good to go there; ceiling no idea)
- Do you practice regular fire drills? (We only have three doors. We would run out one of them. We will practice that next week.)
- Do you know how to operate a fire extinguisher? (Um, no.)
So, as you can see, the Chicks are woefully unprepared to deal with any disaster other than a flood. And our first response after the one in 2010 was to have a drink and watch the news.
In all seriousness, filling this survey out has made me realize I am not prepared for any kind of disaster, either at my place of business or my home. Other than to run away or hide under my desk, of course. But the Office of Emergency Management has a terrific course that any citizen can take called Community Emergency Response Team training. It teaches you everything you need to know to be self-sufficient for 72 hours in the event of a disaster. If you’re interested in taking the class, just click here.
two chicks in a warehouse 