Ive been involved in a workplace shooting and its not something that needs reenacting. And your supervisor is totally wrong about saying that you cant handle it and are weak. My school ran its fire drill annually, in the autumn term when the weather was still nice enough that we could reasonably stay outside for a bit without freezing. (I mean, safety is great, but this person is hilariously the most accident-prone person we all know, and always has a story about falling down the stairs or getting a ticket for speeding on the way to work. Im betting that this company/boss wants to feel like they are doing something to address the problem and keep their employees safe, but really all it does is make them feel better about themselves. Some of them screamed when the police and campus security came in with the biggest freakin guns I have ever seen. I would discount everything that he said about you and take away what he said about himself, namely that he would sacrifice your life for his. OP, if you were to talk to your boss, and he says again you wouldnt be able to take it or something else similarly egregious, you can use the time-honored response, Im not sure what you mean.. There was a mass shooting at a supermarket at her college town two years later. Seven hours at work, doing not-work how much of a backlog will there be the next day? CLICK HERE to get your copy from Book Depository. This pretty much forces your boss to explain his awful thinking. In some cases, you may be able to do individual training on your own time instead of attending the full weekend drill. This came up in the meeting: Run-Hide-Fight includes an active shooter inside the building targeting us, but what do we do for a shooter whos outside targeting someone else? update: is my future manager a bigoted jerk? I have AT starting Aug 7. It involved bringing in all the relevant gov/emergency departments that would get called if the situation was real (so chemical spill scenario was complete with fire trucks) and we didnt have the agenda ahead of time because it was being externally coordinated. 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. I know you said your boss is normally nice, but hes being a bonehead, insensitive jerk about this if he doesnt allow you to quietly bow out. This LW has already had a lot of training. But the last one was letting us know that there were rumors of a violent event being planned for the next day. Your sweet, naive brain thought it was a good idea to make plans to fill every second. Here are some of the films they are showing. Seven hour long training/drill? It's almost perfect. We get our images from the OG in stock assets. You should not have to traumatize yourself at work. 10 Reasons Why You Should Work From Home Today! With flexible plans and countless amounts of premium content uploaded weekly, we had to mention Shutterstock. Creating an outer impression of niceness is not that hard if a person has halfway decent social skills. Assuming theres no policy requiring a doctors note for more than 1 consecutive sickday. The lights were on a timer. I doubt it. It was a Jewish Organization, and the week prior was the shooting at the Temple in Pittsburgh. And boy, was it poorly handled. There are many reasons why people volunteer, including: Women volunteered more than men (28.3% compared to 21.8%), as measured across demographics including age, education level, and ethnicity. Its about 80% victim-blaming) with an actual drill, andI would not be able to. I know you dont want to do that, being the only woman and all, but I find that sometimes I spend too much effort holding myself together, and an honest reaction sometimes solves the issue. Id feel the same way. There are a few reasons why your absences might not be able to be excused. Im in Finland, and the situation isnt nearly as bad as in the US, but we have had school shootings here, too. His work has been featured in Medium, WikiHow and Chron and is currently authoring his new book on overcoming procrastination and achieving goals. Im worried that would get her fired. Just FYI, likely the accommodation would be You dont have to complete the training, but then you have to work in an admin role/non-direct care role. We remembered the event very differently. I used to live in a country that had earthquake drills. How is including that supposed to change the behavior or perception of the students during an actual event in any way? However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. If you play dumb Yeah, I dunno man, it came out of nowhere youll have them feeling sorry for you and totally fine about cancelling. Army reserves: how do I get out of this drill? : r/army - reddit The idea that active shooter training is effective at reducing deaths and injuries in the event of a real active shooter is not. This article was originally published on https://www.nevertherightword.com. Its always on the government to do something, never on the 99% to effect change by living up to their rebel ancestors they sure do love bragging about. Learn how your comment data is processed. if your boss asks, just say you woke up feeling too sick to work that day. For this office, I would avoid a mental health day and really focus on something physical. If you do, there can be some pretty serious repercussions. And if you are not looking up for one, have a detailed conversation with him. Stuffing pretend bullet wounds in dummies with random cloth to stop the bleeding. Nowyou dont have a spare tire,and you are afraid that the mechanic workshop maybe closing. Instead of a drill, why not just some quick tips on what to do and not do? You have a family emergency. Youve successfully canceled every plan you had for this weekend. No matter how frequent people use it,this one never gets old. If a teacher or student has an issue then they should be removed from the situation. Yup, this works, so well that it kept me using makeup! So I can see the value of having people exposed to, and not react to, something like a helicopter or other distraction. :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. Use it to your advantage! An excuse thatshuts down anypossible follow up questions. When watching the movie 8th Grade, the main character (and the rest of the school) was so nonchalant during the active shooter drill, I cried a little. Tell them how you were all dressed up for this party,butat the last moment,youfoundoutthat your car tireispunctured. - From a Soldier perspective. Shorter, optional training for those who have not had experience could be useful for those who might need to think through where they would go and how to react. And we allow guns! There is a huge possibility that they wont remember asking you later in the hustle of all the guests. Im very pale, so my under eye half moons have a purplish tone. This one will go prettywell,butwait! If this were a short (10-20 min) drill, Id say you might be out of luck. On my stomach lining, which makes me puke, nearly immediately. Move away from windows? See also so many links and comments above on why these do not work. Also, youre making some broad assumptions here about the quality of training delivered in all workplaces. Somehow, the solution is always more guns. For more information, please see our 3. Before things finally came to a head). Shop hundreds of premium Divi products like Divi child themes, Divi layouts, and Divi plugins on Divi Cake, the community-driven Divi Marketplace. There is a huge possibility that they wont remember asking you later in the hustle of all the guests,and in case they do, pick up any otherexcuse from this list. You might think this sounds a lot like thecorny my dog ate my homework excuse, but trust us. Im so sorry for what you went through, Doc of the Town. Its not necessarily as private or discrete as you may prefer, and youll still see whats going on in the simulation. Your sporting team is playing in the finals. I am fairly traumatized by all this, because what if it IS a fire and/or flood this time and not just a glitch in the system? I think what happens is that someone sees the day-long disaster simulation events using those who will be involved in emergency responses (police, fire, hospitals, etc) and thinks day-long training will be useful to everyone. My office recently did the same thing. First responders and EM do exercises to improve our side of it. Personally I think if there are ways to prepare people that dont involve trauma, then we should do those. Unfortunately, not all units are able to participate in Drill Weekends. They used to kind of joke about the fire alarm being pulled and then a school shooting happened where a fire alarm was pulled and kids were shot leaving their classrooms/building. You want to spend the time with your family and friends, It has a positive impact on your physical and mental health, You have the opportunity to develop networking opportunities, Yor provide a service or goods to the community. NTRW is supported by adverts and affiliate marketing links. Everytown urges schools not to hold them (or, to reconsider them): https://www.everytown.org/solutions/active-shooter-drills/, My middle-schooler had one this week. I didnt wear makeup one day because I didnt feel like it. The drills at my college last about 15-20 minutes. If this article appears on any other site other than https://www.nevertherightword.com without clear referencing it is a violation of the copyright owned by https://www.nevertherightword.com. I was in a lockdown at a conference at a university. I work in emergency management and these drills are NOT helpful nor necessary for the public. In Quiet by author Susan Cain, the reader is shown how the brain chemistry of introverts and extroverts differs, and how society misunderstands and undervalues introverts. The trainings I have had have been locally-created garbage not based on evidence. If someone has a heart attack in my vicinity, I can call emergency services or run a few hundred yards to get the defibrillator, but someone else will have to start CPR. The kind of situation that can easily develop really complex emergencies that take skilled professionals to safely respond. I have ptsd. different employees pretending to be the shooter, complete with something like a pellet gun or paint gun, one of the factory guys had a turn at being shooter and took out some aggression on management. Our local high did one that lasted several hours. 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). Want more Junkee in your life? excuses to get out of drill weekend - zirpp.org No one will want you near them or ask any more questions. It is not unreasonable to expect a weekend rest after a hard weeks work. You can only use this one if its raining there. We were left on our own for that. I know you said you dont want to look like the only person not tough enough to participate, particularly as the only woman on your team. We had one at my former workplace. because they all sound so real, dont they? There is NO WAY she could do a 7 hour (!) 4) Events start to fade, we dont want to be known by that one day, we can slack off on training. Lets Deal With Quiet Firing In The Workplace, 8 Signs of Quiet Firing You Should Know Now, 10 Good Excuses for Not Working on Weekends, 1. Training as part of orientation. I hope you are able to easily opt out, OP. Maybe its one hour of active shooter drill, and then an additional six hours of getting everyone to calm down, because there is NO way I would be a productive worker after that. Heck no. I already think about mass shootings every single day, including every time Im in a crowded public place, and while I would be happy to read about the hiding protocol or do a self-defense practice, the idea of experiencing a full-scale active simulation makes me feel physically ill. I was out the day the training happened, but apparently it was just a cop lecture interspersed with scary videos. (Unless maybe it was kitty snuggling trainingmight be up for 7 hours of that.). I already deal with the anxiety on a daily basis; I dont need someone pointing it out in a tasteless joke. I am tired and frustrated that my unit has decided to disrespect my schedule and time. Im so sorry your workplace is putting you through this. I work in a school and I think our staff training maxed out at like an hour, and half of that was about identifying and preventing threats. If you feel you need to address it with your boss directly, you could do that while being vague. 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.. I dont worry about gun violence in my daily life, like, ever. The session before it was about what to have in your desk emergency kit in case of an earthquake. Now, chill and relax. CLICK HERE to get your copy from Book Depository. Fortunately weather intervened and caused the part of the activity with the anxiety trigger to get canceled, but I absolutely would have called in sick otherwise. I resent our new hires for setting better work-life boundaries than our company normally has, hairy legs at work, my office sent me a random TV, and more, heres an example of a great cover letter with before and after versions, my employee cant handle even mildly negative feedback, my new coworker is putting fake mistakes in my work so she can tell our boss Im bad at my job, insensitive Diversity Day, how to fire someone who refuses to talk to us, and more, weekend open thread February 25-26, 2023, assistant became abusive when she wasnt invited to a meeting, my coworkers dont check on people who are out sick, and more. So why not plan this up again someday?. For some unknown reason, my school decided to get all the terrible feelings trainings done at once, so wed be subjected to trainings on school shootings, teenage suicide, and abuse and neglect issues all in a row. I told her that going forward, I would like the opportunity to work remotely on the days of drills or just use my leave entirely and she seemed open to it. A man that old fashioned is going to shut you down fast and tell you just stay home. I had a panic attack, because I couldnt remember where the nearest light switch was, and because the space was such a labyrinth I couldnt see any of the emergency exit signs. Unfortunately, many of our politicians (and the people who elect them) would rather our children live in danger than lose lobbying and stockholders money. The babysitter just called and told me she couldnt make it today Thats all you need to say to them. and Youre Currently Waiting to Be Rescued by Your, make a call and tell them how your place is flooded with water and you need to fix it. Hell yeah, why not. LW, your boss is being extremely blas about his staffs mental health. And then if they pushed back, Id advise my staff to call out that day and I wouldnt question it. Its also an opportunity for leaders to get some valuable hands-on time with their troops. I agree that I dont think active shooter trainings are all that helpful, and I may be zeroing in too much on the wrong thing here, but telling you all to wear comfortable clothing is ridiculous. And WTF is a pencil going to do against someone with an AK47. I live in Washington, DC, Honestly, we (Americans) have become desensitized to it. No one in management cared. Because its unnecessary. All rights reserved. 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. But in terms of living vs. surviving, it doesnt affect me at all in the way LW described. I cant fathom why that level of training would be required for active shooter response. And if you have a top in a color that washes you out, that will help if youre younger or have naturally fabulous eyelashes, or if you normally wear no or minimal makeup. This website is supported by adverts and affiliate marketing links. If you have a doctor's note stating that you are too ill to participate in drill, this is a valid excuse. You Have Diarrhea 7. 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. Like what was really scary about the drill at the time was the impression that if it did happen, not only would we be dead, but worse than that it would be our own (collective) faults. Health care employees come under a ton of violence/assaults, from verbal to physical to sexual, and generally experience it at a rate that rivals most other professions. You can go the formal accommodations route. Absolutely take a sick day. My father came close to being blown up in the Marks and Sparks Paris bombing. Good Reasons to Call Out of Work (Physical Jobs) 1. Sobe verysureof both of these conditionsotherwise you are going to end up in a more awkward situation. It is easier to dump them into the IRR and then some 79V has to put them back into another unit to make his numbers and repeat the process. However, the opt out usually looks like being told ahead of time what will happen and standing with a non involved officer rather than participating. But really, call in sick. You can easily use this one if the host lives far away. I would imagine that it helps by not being another unexpected thing going on (if it came down to it) that might throw off someone even further. It has nothing to do with any practical benefit, IMO. The peak factor was approaching 4.5 or I couldnt find a single driver in my area will work. Thanks for your practical, even-minded comment. Call out sick. For one we were on lockdown. Sick of this a-hole you work for! I am not sure I would have managed to remain calm if I hadnt already considered what would likely be going on, if there was a robbery. Could we catch up at a less hectic week? I choked up reading that and I have no kids and am not in the US. Work from home dont only give you the benefit of only flexible working time and let you sleep a little later than normal. A training session with law enforcement might be okay if it was structured like a q&a or generally sought to give information rather than simply a mocked up experience. These partnerships help fund this site. Here are some valid excuses for missing drill: otherwise you are going to end up in a more awkward situation. It was a joke call. When someone says, "We should get brunch this weekend" respond with "I love brunch!" This way you have successfully. Somake a call and tell them how your place is flooded with water and you need to fix itas soon as possible. Also, we do have accommodations for those who cant watch the video. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "adc1af5dd80e55ae1e3f646224ebba55" );document.getElementById("a603c4a483").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Subscribe to all comments on this post by RSS, Email (Optional will display your Gravatar). I really hope this changes some day in the US. 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. Its basically go to X room if you can, use Y furniture to block the door, use Z panic code on the phones to silently call law enforcement to your location. Given that shes already on record as not wanting to participate and the boss reaction, this might be the first time I would ever consider advising someone to just no-call no-show and eat the occurrence. This happened in effing Silicon Valley with the VTA shooting just 2 years ago. I saw on other comments that some, like Snarkus Aurelius, had something presented by non-emergency responders. But in my opinion, your older colleagues have ZERO excuse for not empathizing with your concerns. Gosh, I relate to this so much.