Monday, March 9, 2009

Secretary Amazed at the Lack of Attendance During Company's Mandatory Fire Drill


New York-Grace Hall, legal secretary at Lou, Schult, and Ham LLP. was amazed last Thursday afternoon when she arrived at the fifth floor emergency stairwell during a routine fire drill and noticed the absence of several colleagues.

"One of the admins is pregnant, and she didn't even show up," Hall said in a recent interview. "Now she doesn't know what to do in case of an emergency, so I think she should just be left to burn."

Hall went on to express her dismay at the manager’s lack of interest when she recounted the story to him. “I don’t even think he [manager] showed up for the fire drill either. I went and left a perfectly cup of coffee at my desk.”

In accordance with New York City Fire Department regulations, companies must conduct fire drills and Emergency Evacuation Procedures each quarter, informing employees of emergency stairwell locations and check-in points. Prior to each drill, all employees are given instructions via e-mail or letter from their employer, and are asked to comply when the bell sounds.

“We strongly suggest that all employees follow instructions during emergency drills, but we can not guarantee that everyone will show up,” Manager Grennegs Ham said. “This is a business, not a daycare center.”

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