A number of years ago I was working on the third floor of a building when suddenly the entire building started shaking. Someone yelled "earthquake!" I turned to my co-workers and said, "let's get out of here!" With that I ran the three flights of steps down to the ground floor and out of that building faster than anyone might think it possible for a sixty-something-year-old man to go. It was indeed an earthquake.
I spent the next five years, up to the time of my retirement, being mercilessly ridiculed for my "cowardice."
I don't know; it seemed like the right thing to do.
I was working in a hospital one time and in a patient’s room. I was crouching down on the floor priming an iv line into a waste basket. There were about 10 family members in the room visiting the patient.
One of the visitors next to me said to me, ‘look’ and I looked up and saw the clock on the wall shaking. I thought it was going to fall and stood up. All the family members started leaving quickly and the guys said to me, ‘it’s an earthquake’.
We were on the 7th floor, in Phoenix. We never have had an earthquake that I am aware of. I stood outside the room looking down the hall to the stairs, and the charge nurse, seeing me, and by this time the building was swaying, said to all of ‘us’ nurses: “If any of you leave the floor you are dismissed”.
I stood there thinking, wow, so if the floors start pancaking, I’m dead. But if I leave it’s considered patient abandonment.
I think I said a quick prayer and went back to work. Thankfully the building, which was 60 years old, did not collapse.
A few years ago, we had an earthquake. I was in a 110 year old building. I pulled the fire alarm (which didn’t work) then yelled for everyone to get out. I shepherded the others out of the building then I left.
I would have done the same...was taught to do so as a child.
Should'a told them; "Yeah, it's much smarter to wait and see if the building starts collapsing before you decide whether or not to run".
It was. The safest place, I would think, is someplace with no structures around to fall on you, like in a field.
ridiculed for my “cowardice.”
.....it was wrong of them to incorrectly characterize your sanity and action.
You are not them. They would have bricks land on their heads, and it wouldn’t make them any smarter.
You were the smart one .
I left the workplace when there was a bomb threat and they brought in sniffer dogs....it was at a mall but standing outside the building wasn’t good enough for me....neither was waiting for the mangers to direct the people outside. I went home and told them to call me when the coast was clear.
As I see it your responsible for your own safety in such instances. You did do the right thing.