To be sitting in work planning an escape route incase...

[BobbyElvis]

ISIS attack our office?

I used to have a role that involved me in emergency planning (not zombie apocalypse but all the other disaster planning iyswim). It was very interesting. Occasionally I took my student with me, and that freaked them out - highly amusing in a gallows humour sort of way.
I check for emergency exits in unfamiliar locations and pay attention to plane/ferry/train emergency procedures. Seems sensible to me.
I grew up during cold war/IRA atrocities in the 70's (and by serendipity just missed being in bombing and ferry disaster), and I like a good disaster film, so maybe that's why I have even had the odd day dream about worse case scenario stuff.
BUT the thing is I don't WORRY about it.

I do this. I think it's sensible. On 7/7 I was on the northern line, which kept going past all the stops. When we eventually got out I had to walk to work. Then we got sent home and I had to walk home. I always wear shoes I can walk/run in.
I always remember that people in 9/11 were told that they were safer if they stayed in the world trade centre. I would get out.
It will happen again, if not, worse.

Nobody ever believes this, but it is 100 percent true. Many years ago we had a training session at work. Our company occupied two floors of a big office building and the exercise involved the whole building.

It was a bomb drill, but when the alarm went off we all had to search for the bomb .

We particularly got in trouble because the 'bomb' was hidden on our floor in the stairwell and we didn't find it.

I said that in the event of a genuine bomb threat there was no way I was going to play hunt the bomb! I worked there for 10 years and that only happened once. Bonkers.

I think you are sensible.
I used to look for the fire exit in theatres and cinemas and pubs during the time of the IRA atrocities.
No harm in being prepared.

Yanbu, very sensible IMO.

A bit like making a will; morbid and horrible, but once you've done it, it can be forgotten about until needed.

Lemon that is utterly bonkers!!! who came up with that idea? I think I might still be tempted to hide behind a bush if there was nothing else as if you were hidden you might not be shot at?

I think it's sensible to think about these things but not get too anxious about it as realistically the chances of being caught up in the area where an incident occurs is very small.

I sometimes think about where I would hide a dead body, usually when I'm on a train.
There's a lot of undergrowth on railway banks.
( can you tell I recently divorced)

forago Somebody somewhere must have thought it was a good idea . I think it might have been a post 7/7 panic. Our building was opposite the houses of parliament so we were definitely a target.

I like my company's optimism that should a disaster of some kind, possibly of the nuclear or zombie variety, befall our office then we will all happily trudge 20 miles further away to our "continuance planning" site and crack on with business as usual. Customer service WILL continue even if all our customers are zombie food.

I think it's sensible. I worked within the Square Mile, and later not far from Covent Garden during the 90's bombing campaign. The ceiling of my office came down in the Baltic Exchange bomb, and I've no idea how many times we were either evacuated, or had to sit it out in the office basement.

Maybe I'm paranoid, I plan for everything.

I think it's normal to plan for emergencies. I read a wiki article about a fire at a gig, and now when I go to a club or see a band I always have a quick look for fire exits!

I watched some American film on YouTube about what to do if there's a mass shooting. The advice was basically to run and be a moving target. If anyone wants to stay and hide, just leave them and go. It's pretty disturbing to think about.

Whilst on holiday last week I found myself awake in the early hours trying to decide what I'd do if I realised their was a murderer on the loose. . Would I try to keep dd asleep and hide us in the cupboard, would I run for it with her.. would we make a break for the car... if we did would I strap her in/have time.. risk all the lanes unseat belted. Etc.

Told dh in the morning.. he said I was rediculous. Got into the van and heard about the Tunisian attack :-(

I regularly think about this stuff. DH and I don't let dd sleep in her own room if we are staying somewhere ground floor. . Although she's getting older I can't see this being sustainable before she thinks we are nuts

Yanbu. Or you are but we are equally paranoid!

notquitehuman yes, I heard something similar on the radio a while ago. It's almost impossible to hit a moving target, so your best bet is to just run if someone is shooting at you.

There . . Not their

Run and zigzag, or just run like hell?

I used to work within the square mile and for an American company. At that time bombs were the biggest threat rather than gunmen. The building was purpose built with bomb proof stairwells wide enough to hold all 2000 people in the office. There was also a disaster recovery team who periodically practised various emergency drills.
It just seemed sensible to me. It mostly came into practice after 9/11. Many USA employees died that day which bought it very close to home.

stratters zig zag iirc. The other thing I remember is him saying that Hollywood made people believe that a car door would stop a bullet. It will not.

I don't think it's ridiculous to think about emergency exits, and the difference between what to do if there's a fire or a bomb threat.

I worked in a council office where a disgruntled ex employee phoned in a bomb threat. It showed me that the two people in charge of 'emergency evacuations' were shit hot on fire drills/threats, but were rubbish in other situations. One of them had to be stopped from setting the fire alarm off.

Lemon Did they have you all moving around the building searching? That's madness! At the HMRC office my MIL worked in you had to put all your bags/belongings on your desk and look at your immediate area when the bomb alarm went off (as you'd be more likely to notice a bag/box/etc in your area than a marshal who didn't work in that area), but not move from where you were.

Running in zigzags is what you are supposed to do if being chased by a crocodile as although they can run fast in a straight line they cant change direction quickly. Helpful against alligator attack... Not so much mad gunman attack

Although would make make sense if also being shot at

LaLyra yes, we were up and actively searching. We had a set amount of time to do it in I think. Maybe 15 minutes, but I can't remember exactly. It was a huge failure. Not only did we not find the bomb, but a lot of people just refused to take part, others were running around like hysterical children. There were a fair few complaints afterwards .

I don't tend to worry too much but am always aware of fire exits, and how to get out.

I have just had a 15 minute walk -through our plans in case of zombie apocalypse with my 17 and 12 year old boys though.

(I made the mistake of asking for their thoughts)

It involves heading to nearest diy for too?s, sharp pointy sticks, and cricket bats, and according to them, zombies can't swim very well if at all. Hope this helps!

I also used to work out how long we could last if there was a chemical attack in the water supply by working out how much drinks we had in the house, defrosting freezer, water from tinned veg ect.

There isn't much you can plan apart from knowing your exits.

You have no idea how many of them there would be, where they would enter, how many different access points they would use, if they know the lay out of the building, if they have placed bombs outside to catch people who manage to escape, will they set a fire to evacuate the building etc.

Bomb training and Fire evacuation is very different and staff are asked to look in their immediate working area, because you are more likely to notice something out of place. In the event of a bomb scare it's not a case of leave immediately, like a fire.

At my workplace we have actually had advice about what to do if gun toting terrorists attack our offices. Lock ourselves in, stay in groups, switch phones to silent and hide if possible. I don't think it is crazy at all. Another tip is to walk the fire exits and escape routes, including when you get outside so you know where to go.

I think my nightmare scenario is a dirty bomb and being trapped in the contaminated zone.