(no subject)
So I've always had this plastic box that my mom gave to me for "emergency" purposes. My grab and go box. In fact, I store everything hard to replace in there, excluding the laptop for obvious reasons.
4.50 a.m. in the morning, the fire alarm went on. I knew I wasn't dreaming because I heard the dog from the guy upstairs shuffle. Ten seconds went by telling myself it wasn't real. Then I threw on some track pants and a sweater and walked out of my apartment.
By no means am I a fast person, but nobody was outside at the time. I was at a loss of what to do. Years of nonchalant fire drills were nothing more than a nuisance, or an unscheduled coffee break. I felt like I should be doing something, almost irrationally anything. It was primal - bell rings, danger, run. I was looking for a red panic button that wasn't there.
Soon enough 3 out of 4 tenants from our side of the circular building came out. One guy opened the door to fire exit and I smelled it. If the blaring of the alarm was associated with DANGER, the combined efforts of smoke spelled REAL DANGER.
I went back in, grabbed the emergency box and the laptop, throwing in the cell phone and wallet. I was alone when I walked out. It struck me then, now what?
The smoke travelled fast. I could smell it on the hallway - it must have travelled up the elevator shaft. The super said on the PA that it was coming from the 11th floor, stay calm.
Stay calm, ...and stay in your apartment? That went against all those hours I spent shivering in the cold in fire drills.
Stay calm, and run... up? I would be more likely to pass out from that, realistically - I live closer to the middle than to the top. Run down sounded stupid because it was coming from the 11th floor, which is below my floor.
And isn't the fire hall up the street? What is taking so bloody long?
I went back out the balcony. Looked down, saw nothing aside from few people in their robes. The fire trucks came, and they were not running. That was a good sign until more fire trucks came blaring down Church St.
That was when I was told to stay in the apartment by Toronto Fire.
It must be minutes away from sunrise. I think my body only pumped out so much adrenaline to sustain me for so long that I'm starting to get drowsy now.
To sum up, I do not know what to do in a somewhat realistic situation, and that's alarming. And I'm glad to not have to drag myself to school/work in the morning.
4.50 a.m. in the morning, the fire alarm went on. I knew I wasn't dreaming because I heard the dog from the guy upstairs shuffle. Ten seconds went by telling myself it wasn't real. Then I threw on some track pants and a sweater and walked out of my apartment.
By no means am I a fast person, but nobody was outside at the time. I was at a loss of what to do. Years of nonchalant fire drills were nothing more than a nuisance, or an unscheduled coffee break. I felt like I should be doing something, almost irrationally anything. It was primal - bell rings, danger, run. I was looking for a red panic button that wasn't there.
Soon enough 3 out of 4 tenants from our side of the circular building came out. One guy opened the door to fire exit and I smelled it. If the blaring of the alarm was associated with DANGER, the combined efforts of smoke spelled REAL DANGER.
I went back in, grabbed the emergency box and the laptop, throwing in the cell phone and wallet. I was alone when I walked out. It struck me then, now what?
The smoke travelled fast. I could smell it on the hallway - it must have travelled up the elevator shaft. The super said on the PA that it was coming from the 11th floor, stay calm.
Stay calm, ...and stay in your apartment? That went against all those hours I spent shivering in the cold in fire drills.
Stay calm, and run... up? I would be more likely to pass out from that, realistically - I live closer to the middle than to the top. Run down sounded stupid because it was coming from the 11th floor, which is below my floor.
And isn't the fire hall up the street? What is taking so bloody long?
I went back out the balcony. Looked down, saw nothing aside from few people in their robes. The fire trucks came, and they were not running. That was a good sign until more fire trucks came blaring down Church St.
That was when I was told to stay in the apartment by Toronto Fire.
It must be minutes away from sunrise. I think my body only pumped out so much adrenaline to sustain me for so long that I'm starting to get drowsy now.
To sum up, I do not know what to do in a somewhat realistic situation, and that's alarming. And I'm glad to not have to drag myself to school/work in the morning.