There is a debate you can maybe find evidence of online as to whether this is effective. All The Funniest Reactions To Facebook And Instagram Shutting Down For Six Hours Some say that it is helpful to have even a few seconds of warning, and that the sound should be loud and trigger serious caution. I dont think I could do a drill again. Take the day off if you can call in sick if you need to. Its in back of my mind when I go to various stores. Definitely. My father came close to being blown up in the Marks and Sparks Paris bombing. I hope it goes well, and click send. So. I grew up in the era of mass shootings. There is a huge possibility that they wont remember asking you later in the hustle of all the guests. What I wonder is, if you all spend seven hours at work doing not-work, will you have a huge backlog of work the next day? Also if this bunghole tries to make you feel weak for not being up for it, remember that standing up to him is a strong choice in itself. Which is even stupider than forcing everyone to do active shooter training in the first place. 5) Dont take drill too seriously. Never had a garish, clashing lip color since I learned that trick years ago when I worked in department store cosmetics and was a model for make up/hair when my friends went through state boards for their cosmetology licenses. Id call in sick. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'nevertherightword_com-large-billboard-2','ezslot_4',182,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-nevertherightword_com-large-billboard-2-0');report this adThis site does not constitute legal, mental, or medical health advice, please consult a competent licensed professional. Im 38 now and I still think about that day with anxiety and sadness. If youre lucky or skilled enough to have made it to the finals, theres no reason why you should have to miss out because of work. My blood boils thinking about it. If youre curious I can expand on that, but I dont want to derail the thread. And dont give up. Some of them screamed when the police and campus security came in with the biggest freakin guns I have ever seen. 4 is not just a valid option but a truthful one. No one processed the paperwork and the slot got filled up every single time. If youre a party person, in your teens or early twenties, a party at Davids is news that will stir a lot of excitement. Ive never been through an active shooter drill. But I watched the required active shooter training video so I guess thats all I need <- sarcasm/ Oof. You have a work conflict . smdh. You have a family emergency. I graduated high school a few years before Columbine, but can still completely empathize with what people who are younger than me have been through. EVERYTHING this guy says. And then you can tell your boss in advance that ou have an appointment you just cannot move that day is the ONLY day available. Scaring the sh*t out of people isnt helpful. We shouldnt be expecting children to go thru this. excuses to get out of drill weekend. The active shooter training was a short part of the overall agenda. At most, this should be a 2 hour training. 4) Events start to fade, we dont want to be known by that one day, we can slack off on training. These are typically held one weekend per month, and they can last anywhere from 8 to 12 hours. But youve already established your workplace isnt likely to be reasonable. Bloodsucking Bastards is out on in select theaters and On Demand this Friday . Its not as full on as what the OP saying, theres no law enforcement or reenactment. If you are a National Guard member, there are certain circumstances where you can be excused from drill. What's not to love? Or maybe if no one from your department is going to be there. I had a med student with me and I took her into my office afterwards to check in. That sounds wildly excessive thats the kind of time spend on drills for issues you deal with every day, like chemical release training at a chemical storage facility. Again, its like, well yes, I want them to have survival skills in this reality we live in. For the most part, the training most people will need in an active shooter situation will much less than a day people might have to hide for hours in a real event but Im not sure how much actually hiding adds to watching a five minute video. Content warning for anyone who (like me) was curious about this and did google for the original news story: many of the top links I found in the google results included detailed descriptions of the fake-shooters other, unrelated charges (abuse of a minor). I definitely think Id go the call in sick route. But theres no reason why you cannot ask in advance for a weekend where youre not rostered on. I already deal with the anxiety on a daily basis; I dont need someone pointing it out in a tasteless joke. The introvert/extrovert divide is the most fundamental dimension of personality. 1 When Something Comes Up & You Still Want To See Them Shutterstock "Hey, I'm so sorry, but something came up tonight and I. In my 20s and 30s would have loved to have got a job living in NYC and generous vacation leave meant i used to visit multiple times a year. Worst case, they might show up to work armed, and their colleagues would assume its all part of the training.. Each year the US Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its data on volunteering in the United States. Wish me luck! A side hustle is any job that you do in addition to your normal or main source of income. Every person is different, and in the LW case I would agree she has done active shooter drills, so her choice to do something to avoid and additional drill of this type (talk to mgmt or call sick, I have my opinion but irrelevant to her choice). If you have blond eyelashes and typically wear mascara skipping that..theyll think youre on deaths door. And if it is, there is a huge possibility that the other people wont show up either. Ugh. CLICK HERE to get your copy from Book Depository. If you graduated high school in the last 15 years, youve done active shooter drills. That means if you click and buy a product, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I have a perfect non-attendance record for the last 10 years of active shooter training at my firm. As for how to do it, realistically youve got four options: 1. About HQHIREAffiliate DisclosureTerms & ConditionPrivacy PolicyContact usSitemap, Education ArticlesGetting A JobCareer SuccessEducationCareer ListCareer Tools, Career ChatroomAsk QuestionsRegister or LoginRecover Password, Copyright 2023 HQ HIRE All Rights Reserved. But I like this teachers perspective that it helps her to ensure her class is ready to allow her to concentrate on the best response to an actual emergency; so I assume emergency responders have the same belief. This means there needs to be a fair balance between times where you work, rest, and do what makes you happy. You've only watched 16 videos of veterans coming home to their dogs and you promised yourself you'd break 30 tonight. Our society (U.S.) has gone around the bend and its valuable for reasoned voices to call it out. But Alisons advice is great. We did an active shooter drill at my organization and I thought it would be similar to the same drills I grew up doing (also a millennial) but it was so much worse than I imagined. They pointed out there is no way to think of and train for every scenario, and doing so could create a false sense of safety, not to mention costing a lot of money and raising anxiety among staff. (Enough Benadryl cures the symptoms, so I could have been better by the evening), I chickened out. And so on. If she calls out sick, she can just insist Im sick; cant come in regardless of what the boss says. I have been battling car issues for over a week now. So,I am going out on dinner with him. I wouldnt be able to participate in one of these drills either and I HATE that they exist. When I was at college I had a job at a fast food kiosk in a railway station. And hiding or fighting is just not in the cards. You have a medical issue an active shooter drill is detrimental to your mental health. I know many of them are probably fine, but many are also horror themed. I work in a clinic that serves LGBTQ+ patients and I live in a state that is very second amendment and extremely not LGBTQ+ friendly. there were no office doors to close and we had no escape roots beside the main hall, so we would be trapped. But I mostly just want to call OP out. Boo yeah! But last summer I had to attend one of these trainings at work (though much shorter) and I completely melted down. I have done this several times throughout my career. It really shook me up in ways I didnt expect. Maybe you suggest lunch instead of drinks. No one will ask an explanation for this one as we all know how severe it hits. Even if it doesnt, she would still have to face a conversation about it the next time she shows up to work, so it doesnt help the problem any. Do I normally condone lying? There have been several studies that have shown that the methods used in many trainings end up causing PTSD and trauma. I literally had a panic attack and left. No one is bringing in a wind machine and throwing debris around classrooms during a tornado drill. Not-really-jokes aside, call in sick. Pretty sure I called in sick that day. If you have a family or work obligations that conflict with your drill weekend, there are a few ways that you can get out of it. Turned out that was the best way to surround himself with friends to help remind him he was safe. If you are in the National Guard or Reserves, you may be required to participate in drill weekends. Again her choice is individual and different, but I am glad her workplace is partnering with them so that others who many never have had such drills (me included, 7 workplaces over 30+ years and I have at most had video training) have that opportunity. Workplaces do need to do security training, but it should not be hard to provide training that is specific and actionable without turning our offices into a badly-planned cop LARP. I work for a a government agency. Oct 21, 2005 #2. Dark humor and gallows humor is very common in my family and we sometimes get horrified looks from the comments we make (like joking about a 2-for-1 euthanasia special when we were dealing with an elderly family pet and my elderly grandmother going through health issues at the same time). OP call in sick if your boss continues to be a jerk about this. It was a full hands on every emergency agency in our city was involved. Lol I was going to say the same thing. Im a manager at the lowest level of our management structure. Should issue directions? But if thats not the case,tell them you were here (at some distant place) to pick up some workrelatedstuff,and it will be late till you reach there. Dealing with Life Events or Advice, Texts and Messaging Templates. Its extra depressing and pointless when the core training package for a UK-based company with US offices includes active shooter modules. A headache isntsevere enough to render you useless for a long period of time but its bad enough that itll get you out of a social engagement. Lavender Baj, Culture This individual lived through a civil war in their country of origin and understandably was not keen on the idea of triggering difficult memories in a professional setting. It happens so much and theres nothing we can really do about it (other than vote and organize), so \_()_/. They dont call us a generation of flakesfor nothing. OP Thank you for writing in. I was in a lockdown at a conference at a university. Because its unnecessary. Not only does a well-designed drill help participants remember what to do in a real scenario, it gives you the opportunity to identify critical issues before an emergency. Just call in sick. The peak factor was approaching 4.5 or I couldnt find a single driver in my area will work. We were about 1hr 25 min away. The drill was ultimately canceled after my employers legal counsel also reviewed the release and advised that an employer should not be asking employees to sign it. Ive been participating in active shooter drills since high school, know about run-hide-fight, and have friends who have lost siblings to gun violence. 7 hour training is Crisis Porn. Now the thought of visiting my friends in the US on holiday absolutely terrifies me. Michelle Rennex, Culture Here are some tips from some of the worlds best mentor for you to jump-start your career to get that sweet promotion and excel in your career. I cannot begin to explain how much I am dreading this training. But you should definitely follow others advice about skipping the upcoming one- this is just for future years to push for online ALICE training. Thankfully events like this are never mandatory at my job, so its unlikely to come up. And thats not even including all the training around dealing with bomb threat callers, with angry patients/family members, with weapons, with baby/child abduction, etc. When you look back on yourself even 6 months from now, youll be glad you did. Its pretty clear from the letter that it is an all day training. If you have a doctor's note stating that you are too ill to participate in drill, this is a valid excuse. Its just easier that way, unfortunately. But I was wondering how can reasonable accomodations include opting out of mandatory safety related training? I would not talk to your boss in your shoes. 9 Best Practices for Career Success in Your 20s, no.7 get you Promoted, 10 Effective Ways to Deal with Gossip at Work, 7 Common Types of Spam Emails and How to Identify, How to Write a Professional Email At Work (with Examples), how to tell your boss you are not working on weekends professionally, between 10 and 14 days of paid vacation per year, US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, importance of fostering a work-life balance, How to Introduce Yourself at First Day of Work (with Examples), 5 Best Types of Goal Setting Techniques (Succeeding at Work), 10 Basic Types of Leadership Styles and How to Find Your Own, Bad Boss? You just dont know what people can and cannot tolerate with this kind of thing, and its best to let them decide for themselves if its appropriate. :D, https://www.fox4news.com/news/officer-shot-during-active-shooter-training-forest-hill, https://www.kios.org/news/2022-08-25/arrest-follows-active-shooter-drill-gone-wrong, https://www.securityinfowatch.com/healthcare/news/21277863/three-more-nurses-sue-adventhealth-over-faked-active-shooting. I just told my boss I wasnt going. I think midterms and finals are possible reasons for an early dismissal the last day of drill if nothing important is going on. Also on the 7th floor so its not like we could break a window. 4. Make up a story of how your roommate needs your special attention since they are suffering from a. fever. I don't know how it was in the reserves, but in the Nasty Guard you had to make up the time and have a damn good exscuse. Im late to the post, but you dont even have to be a kid for it to be all you know. Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook so you always know where to find us. This means that a significant proportion of the volunteer labor force comes from people who are already occupied with paid labor elsewhere. Sorry, I got a bit over-emotional here, but anyways you got what wemeant. I dont want to teach my kids to be afraid, but also dont want to misjudge a safety situation. Thats so callous. It waits till the last minute to give Soldier's orders which makes employers upset as well as Soldier. Here are a few professional ways to deal with gossip at work! Were in the same school district as the Tree of Life shooting, which happened on a Saturday, and the following week was Halloweensomeone called in a threat to my kids elementary school that day, and my oldest was in swimming at the time. I am going out on dinner with him. That is the point. And if it is, there is a huge possibility that the other people wont show up either. Im very sorry. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. When I voiced my concerns, he made a few jokes about how he would simply redirect the shooter to a younger person, then asked if I was saying I wouldnt be able to take it. Absolutely nothing about this is funny to me, and this made me feel even more alienated. There you go. I love the advice to take two days and do something restorative. That kind of multi-hour practical drill strikes me as very useful. You should absolutely opt out if you want to. by ] (which is, essentially, the adult version of the fire drill) and an active shooter drill (which, in my understanding, usually implies some level of re-enactment beyond what Ellis Bell (the teacher above) was describing as lockdown drills at school). I definitely feel safer that the administration deems it more likely that we need immediate access to bleeding control than an AED. But something I didnt consider is that these were only done virtually due to Covid, meaning there was nothing to act out, you were just meant to talk over with your coworkers/students how you would act. All rights reserved. Our active shooter training is online, so you can just play the video and ignore it & still get credit. All we can do is raise awareness, look out for safety hazards, and hold fire drills and practice our escape routes once in a while. Call in sick. A year or so before COVID, our state decided to mandate active-shooter drills for schools. consider that he might be telling the truth. This is what Im stuck on. But in my opinion, your older colleagues have ZERO excuse for not empathizing with your concerns. Hell yeah, why not. If you call in sick and they run this drill again in a year or two, youll be in the same position, and making yourself sick with worry. I think practicing repeating whatever line works for you, to avoid being needled by him about it in future, might be worthwhile. Im proud of you for recognizing ahead of time what I failed to, and fully support you doing whatever you need to do to get out of it. Heres a list of foolproof excuses thatare sure to get you out of any weekend plan. Here are some valid excuses for missing drill: Make a complaint or request or whatever afterwards if you feel up to it, but for now just protect yourself by disengaging, and make sure you give yourself lots of TLC and distraction on your sick day. LW, your boss is being extremely blas about his staffs mental health. College is not a good excuse for not attending drill. Stealing superficially affable for later use. One of our locations had had an employee shot and murdered in the block between the facility and the bus stop: another experienced a shooting in the street while an adjacent outdoor facility was full of children and families. Things have been chaotic and I need a little time to recoop. My boss and his wife were directly behind me! I have ptsd. The US is particularly bad because of its gun laws. You might still be able to get them to modify how they do the drills, and who they choose to be the instructors, etc. When you are in charge of leading a class of kindergarteners into a hiding spot for their drill its a little hard to be removed from the situation. Yes, absolutely, get a doctors note so you have backup. Woke up this morning for drill and my car would not start. Most workplace active shooters are targeted. Its a big box store, just a series of giant open rooms! I do not feel safe. What action should OP expect to be taken, as a result of this call? Heck, my dad worked in the Pentagon post 9/11, D.C. Sniper, and Virginia Tech and threat training was like an hour. They played it in the background or had it up during lunch and walked away in order to get credit for watching it. And law enforcement is the last group Id trust with my safety. 3) Find a friend to talk to during drill. They left FEMA after Katrina to join another agency which was setting up an emergency preparedness team as a result of what went wrong during Katrina. Written materials and a review of the buildings exits and safe(r) rooms is more than sufficient. 4) Bring a book or something else to occupy your mind if you get bored during drill. Because lets be honest, who does not want to have a hot mug of coffee on the terrace while watching the rain pouring onto the glass of your windows, making a thud sound and yet so calming? In the past 10 years, both employees and employers have recognized the importance of fostering a work-life balance. What in the actual hell? The Drill Army Reserves is not active duty, so you wont be deployed overseas or see combat. This isnt going to be the first time someone tries to tell him that people have traumas and mental health needs. Ive got a serious case of womens issues. Get involved in your unit. 9 drill periods in one year it typically starts the discharge process. I got volunteer hours and free pizza, and I was 12 so I was very excited to mess around with fake blood and brains. The two are not the same. Large auditorium. There were two separate school shootings in my district in the time frame that I was middle school through high school. And if we get it wrong, we will talk out ways to stay quiet and not fidget after. Weve had some real fires, but unless the sprinkler system fails, the building will just flood instead of burning down. Yup I was going to do this pre-pandemic to get out of a (much more minor) mandatory fun activity that happened to involve one of my anxiety triggers because I knew trying to explain why something most people think is at worst annoying makes me shake with nerves was just not worth spending political capital on. Most of the others sat around, out in the open, chatting quietly. And we allow guns! This happened in effing Silicon Valley with the VTA shooting just 2 years ago. Scripts & Templates for Lifes Uncomfortable Conversations. For anyone to work in a position where they may have to do non-violent restraint and not have hands-on training in a controlled environment is INCREDIBLY dangerous and would open your facility to a huge amount of liability, both civilly and criminally. The day she got back to the office, there was news of multiple mass shootings in the States and she was so unaffected. He does not understand the psychic toll that shootings have taken on many people in my generation and does not understand that anxiety means something more than just sort of worried about something.. If youre outside the immediate blast radius, being killed by a falling ceiling tile is preventable that way. Guessing they will breakout into groups and tour the building to find safe places to hide or ways to block paths. If its that sort of training day, it would be way more involved the typical quick drill or watch Run/Hide/Fight theyd be going over all the logistics, what processes to set up to prevent it, etc. If your employment requires that you work on the weekend, organizing a spontaneous weekend away might not be possible. Jesus. This seems to be a growing problem. we had to watch those run-hide-fight videos at the old job and the entire time Im like how is this going to work for us. Whether or not your weekend work is a regularly scheduled shift or some overtime thanks to work that was not completed during the week, asking for time off to attend an important family event is perfectly justifiable. Just try to get through it and then enjoy your weekend! Im not against well-designed, appropriate active shooter drills but I cant believe this one is well-designed or appropriate if it takes so long. Our wallet holdsall ofour important things, including cash, id, and credit cards. I live in Washington, DC, Honestly, we (Americans) have become desensitized to it. 10 Good Excuses for Not Working on Weekends 1. The irony of school kids being taught run-hide-fight when theres so little that they could use to fight withat my desk I have tons of makeshift weapons that could indeed inflict great bodily harm if I had to. It was investigated, law enforcement believed it was just a rumor, and there would be extra police presence at school the next day.