Fire Fire!

23/10/2014

Remember I said I was nominated as Fire Warden the second day I arrived?  Well last night I got to put grasp the role with both hands and run with it.

At 4.40am I was woken to "Brrrrr brrrr brrrr, this is not a drill.  Please evacuate the building and await instructions".  

I jumped out of bed in my pretty floral nightie and hightailed it to the reception area.  I had been given instructions at my induction to go to the reception area if the alarm went to see if it was for real.  By the way, the reception is a wee way away.  I would hope to smell smoke by the time I got there.

On arriving, Tim from Taupo (father of Michelle Taylor) was coming out from his hallway, nicely attired I must say, in his dressing gown.  

The night attendant was flying, yes flying, in another direction yelling "Get everyone out".  

"Right" says Tim "let's get our gear".  Off we go to the rack to get our bag of equipment - cap, vest, torch.  Nicola (ex Taupo) the other floor warden (3 wings to the lodge) arrives and we disperse to our wings, knocking on doors and shouting instructions to evacuate, not knowing if someone was in a room or not.

Me in fire warden get-up

People started coming out from all directions - some had time to get dressed. I managed to pass my room and grab some trackies to put on.

Ten minutes and the alarm went off.  "False alarm" says the night attendant.  Tim informs us he couldn't smell smoke, so we thought she was right.

Back to bed, 10 minutes later off the alarm goes off again.  Out I climb only to be told false alarm.

At 6.38am off the alarm goes again. By this time my trackies are ready and waiting.  Once again false alarm.

Great excitement of chatter over breakfast only to find two 'perished' as they didn't have their hearing aids in and didn't hear the knock on the door.  Oops.

So much for telling the new lodgers how lovely and peaceful this place is.  They got a rude awakening.

So who got to work early today? Moi!

Some of the lodgers arrived at oncology clinic today to oh no, another fire evacuation!    What's going on we wonder.