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

[BobbyElvis]

ISIS attack our office?

I watched an educational film about what would happen if the supervolcano under Yellowstone park blew and ordered myself a load of those paper breathing masks which are in an upstairs cupboard.

DH laughed at me but he'll be laughing on the other side of his face if it happens and people's lungs start turning to concrete.

I was in a office that was sealed after a letter got delivered with white powder in. Took is ages to realise. By the time we noticed we were locked in and the major incident tents were being put up and the car park full people in full body suits.

I rang my dad (ex police man) he was worried, but they let us out after 4 hours. Think it turned out to be some talc, disgruntled ex employee sent us.

I was oddly not bothered and carried on working

My father always drilled me to check the emergency exits when arriving somewhere, to listen to the security announcements in planes (as they don't replay them if trouble strikes) and to check that the life belt is actually there. Also never to sit in the first or last coach of a train, in case of brake failure and impact.

I can't bring myself to ever ignore any of that. And have found myself telling my DC all the same things.

After my office (govt facility) was evacuated for a bomb years ago, I've made a mental 'escape plan' for each facility I worked in. I kept a pair of running shoes under my desk to grab. Evacuations in high heels are no fun. I also made sure that my handbag and cell phone were always together and easy to grab.

Our management also had a 'look for the bomb' mentality. That went out the window fast when the actual need arose, trust me!

There's nothing wrong with having an escape plan. It's when you are too focused on the thought that it will be necessary to use it that the problems start!

I have passed a few shifts debating what to do in case of a terrorist attack on one of the major stations I work to, but I don't think it's hugely paranoid; a few of my destinations are Cat A stations. I don't think there's any harm in running through what you'd do/where you'd go in case of an emergency, but the amount of time you devote to disaster scenarios should probably vary depending on if you work in the Square Mile vs a tiny hamlet in Mid Wales.

I haven't made any firm decisions, sadly, except that while I don't want it to happen anywhere, I definitely don't want it to happen at Birmingham New Street! I guess I know what I'll spend tomorrow's downtime thinking about! My plan for a zombie attack involves somehow catapulting them onto the overhead wires. Need blueprints for my catapult device.

If there was a gun attack on the school

Great. I hadn't thought of that but now I have

Years ago I witnessed an attack in a public place. A man walked in with a knife and a (replica) gun and started randomly stabbing people. I didn't do what I thought I would do in that situation, I froze, like my brain was trying to catch up with what was happening. I was a teenager at the time but adults with me also froze, no one knew what to do. Weird how your brain reacts to the unexpected.

When my kids were little I used to plan what I'd do if someone broke in through the night - made myself quite ill with all the 'what ifs'.

bobby I'm the same. always have my phone out on my desk and am the first out during a fire drill. several years in emergency services admin made me hyper aware of these things.

Always check where the fire escapes are in hotels and cinemas.

If you're being shot at, run straight or in zigzags, just run and run as fast as you can.

Thinking about escape routes is sensible. I remember reading a study about plane crashes. Obviously in the big fireball type, nothing makes any difference. But on the emergency landing sort of thing, the people who survived where the ones who got out first. On planes, the only bit of the safety briefing i pay attention to is where the exits are. I count the rows from my seat. All that shit about how to tie your life jacket in a pretty bow is pointless. So imho thinking about your escape plan is no bad thing. Letting it worry you and affect your life is not.

I'm a teacher and my classroom is not in the main school building so I feel a bit vulnerable. I sometimes think about what I would do with my class if a gunman or knife-wielding maniac came in. I'm on the ground floor so some could escape out the window and some could hide in my massive stock room. It's occurred to me more recently that the gunman or maniac could be one of the kids which has concerned me greatly. I worry about DH working in the city centre and travelling by train too.

When I worked for a shopping centre management company we had to look for bombs. The thought behind it being we knew where the pot plants, benches etc were ment to be so would notice if they we removed. They used shoeboxes hidden in cupboards with a post it note saying 'bang!' On them!

I must confess to turning down a trip to SouthBank on Monday (I live central North London though!!) as I had that little frisson of fear. With a toddler and a baby I am a little more jittery than normal.

I got on the Tube the day after 7/7, I am not a scaredy cat at all but I just don't feel right going on Tubes / into the hub of it at the moment!

*South Bank

Railway worker - I will ask my children for zombie catapult blueprint for you - it's get out of homework o clock at knackered towers x

Incidentally, why mention Bham New St in particular? Is it harder to escape from or would it cause maximum chaos because it's at the centre of so many lines?

Balloon, I have a fully stocked 'pandemic' cupboard. Masks, gloves, bleach, sanitiser; you name it, it's in there.

They laugh. They won't laugh when the shit hits the fan, and I'm the only one protected

I am hugely looking forward to seeing the blueprints knackered!

Pointlessfan, of the stations I personally work through I think it would be the hardest to escape from, as it's all effectively underground so other than going out along the tracks (much, much harder to even walk on ballast than most people think) you're forced to go up via the staircases/escalators. But I must stress there are still multiple exits and I only work through a very very small number of major stations so I don't mean to suggest it's some kind of sitting duck. It probably doesn't help that it's the major station on my route card I know the least. Don't mean to alarm anyone!

I know what you mean, I just asked because it's a station DH uses a fair bit.

Stratter5 I heard run zig zag and it's unlikely you'll be hit.

They laugh. They won't laugh when the shit hits the fan, and I'm the only one protected

I say this about my overly elaborate zombie escape plan. They call me mad now but they'll all want to be my friend when the sea start rising...

The sea the dead I meant obviously

This is a good 5-minute BBC film about the brace position. I remember seeing it last year and the point about having your legs under your seat has stayed with me. I've done a lot of flying and am conscientious about listening to the safety briefing, reading the card, counting seat rows and identifying the nearest exits but the feet thing wasn't something I'd really picked up on before. The other bits of advice I've picked up on here and there are to choose an aisle seat within 5 rows of an exit, practise undoing the seat belt, wear long-sleeved tops and trousers made from natural fibres, to never inflate a lifejacket inside the plane and to move as soon as the plane stops.

In my car I have this window-breaking hammer and seatbelt cutting tool in the glove box, just in case we crash and are stuck inside the car.

At home I do periodic fire drills with the DC.

I've obviously thought about disaster planning more than I realised!

In my car I have this window-breaking hammer and seatbelt cutting tool in the glove box, just in case we crash and are stuck inside the car.

I have one of those in my car too and DP is always taking the piss. Wasn't taking the piss the day we heard about the poor guy in the states who overheated in his own car and died after locking himself in...

We have a fully fleshed out zombie plan. I also have a supplies kit in case of emergency. I know exactly who I want on my team out of my friends too, we have a good mix of skills - drivers, sailors, horse riders, archery, self defense, engineer, etc. No medics yet. Need to befriend one. We'll be the last ones standing if this all turns zombieland, I'm telling you.

In a throwback from video games I always check out the mini maps of the train, emergency hammer thing and first aid kit whenever I get on too. Can't press menu to bring up the map IRL, gotta remember that shit first time!