Fake Fire Real Drill

Early in the morning, I had heard colleagues talk about a fire drill, which would be conducted later in the morning. Cheh, I thought. I thought wrong. So wrong.

At 10+ am, the fire alarm went off.

"Oh, that's the drill... let's go."
"Leave everything behind."
"I don't wanna leave my handbag behind."
"Just take your handphones la."

If there was a real fire, I don't want to leave my handbag behind to be burned... along with my money, IC, keys etc... *and I took my handbag along... what the heck*

We exited the building via some flights of stairs and while walking toward the carpark where everyone was to gather, we saw a big puffs of black smoke billowing out of the spot where the CEO's office is.

"Wow... this is real ar!"
"No, it's just a drill"
"But really got smoke!!!" *and my colleagues just laughed at me*

At the carpark, I noticed that cardboards printed with each department's names were placed on stands, so employees will know where they were supposed to line up, and I was quite convinced that it was a drill... not the real thing. Something else that confirmed that there wasn't any actual fire:

.
... "victims" having time to take umbrellas while evacuating the "burning" building

A while later, my jaw dropped when I noticed how convincingly real this fire drill was. The entire emergency rescue fleet appeared within minutes (I was told this fire drill functioned as a drill for them too - to test their response time) :


... the police


... the Bomba (they came in 2 or 3 fire engines!)


... the ambulance, complete with paramedics


... and a real firefighter spraying real water out of a real firehose

Despite the very hot weather, I was impressed enough to quit my shadowy nook (the shade cast by a Toyota Unser at the carpark) to snap photos! There were full-uniformed police officers "watching" over the "operation" and the firefighters were in full gear - protective clothing, masks, oxygen tanks and all! They even got 2 employees to take the role of the injured and were actually placed on stretchers and hauled into the waiting ambulance. And then the ambulance sped off! I remember thinking - if the poor "victims" really got ferried to the hospital, how on earth were they to get back to the office later? (in the evening, a colleague told me that the paramedics were actually not informed that the "victims" were not real - only the ER doctors at the hospital knew. *ok, I think this is too much*!)

After the whole thing was over and we were all back in our office with its very welcomed air-conditioning full-blast, I told a few friends online about the exciting episode. One guy didn't seem impressed at all.

"Last time we also got the bomb drill, and the bomb squad came"

Wow! That must be more exciting than our fire drill! Could we have a bomb drill somewhen in the near future? How did they evacuate? Did they move everyone away?

"Nope - stood under the hot sun outside the building for 30-40mins, before they completed their play and we were allowed back to office"

Outside the building? What kind of bomb drill is that? If the "bomb" detonates and the building blows apart... everyone will die all the same. Still, I wouldn't mind experiencing a bomb drill :P

A while later I was telling another guy about our exciting fire drill, and about the first guy's bomb drill experience. He had an idea:

"Better still - a nuclear radiation drill... people in space suits come!"

Oooh. I would love to have that! And they would give each and every one of us "victims" a space suit to wear too!

"And we act mutated"

Hahahah. That'll be the ultimate drill of our lives... if it ever happens. Meanwhile, I have to make the amusement I got from the recent fire drill to last me till the weekend *tomorrow is friday!*