I grew up in the Seventies and Eighties in the UK with the IRA. Unfortunately, many of our politicians (and the people who elect them) would rather our children live in danger than lose lobbying and stockholders money. There's something wrong with your stomach, something pukey. Tell the host a detailed story of how hectic your last week was with all the office meetings, official tours, and prepping up for the big seminar that went great today. Anyone who schedules a 7 hour mass shooting drill is not right in their head. Seven hours is unbelievable, but sounds more like a training event for the police than your workplace. She cant even bear to see guns on tv. Agreed those, and other things like kids figuring out to hand out scissors, bother me too. Thanks guys! Its a good idea to discuss this with your employer so that they can arrange alternative working arrangements for you. In that case, the advice to advance schedule a dr appointment for that day applies. Thats it. Likenever mind the snowflakes, what about the combat veterans? Agreed, the boss here is an arsehole with a thin layer of affability on top. excuses to get out of drill weekend CLICK HERE to get your copy. I asked her if she was scared of being involved in a shooting at any point during her trip and she turned to me and said every time I was in a space with more than 5 people I didnt know. Written materials and a review of the buildings exits and safe(r) rooms is more than sufficient. Privacy Policy. For the most part, the training most people will need in an active shooter situation will much less than a day people might have to hide for hours in a real event but Im not sure how much actually hiding adds to watching a five minute video. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your experience in the Drill Army Reserves: My direct boss fought it and tried to get me excused, but her boss was firm that it was required. my boss is requiring me to do something that will harm my mental health, and has vocally denigrated mental health issues in the past, rendering me reluctant to claim formal mental health accommodations. Whatever. Theres no need for public participation. So better use that if its the 20th or later of the month. How awful. Im sorry that anyone has to deal with this. I think? (Like Alisons proposed it wont be possible.). Even if it isnt, its going to take a while,and you may not be able to make it up. You do not need to hear gun shots or see people play dead or whatever simulated shenanigans people want to insist on. The company policy for RST is that it has be approved 30 days before drill (Aug 5-6). These are typically held one weekend per month, and they can last anywhere from 8 to 12 hours. But safety training for a forklift operator absolutely includes accident prevention, and so does HAZWOPER. 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. Unfortunately I really doubt the boss is going to be at all receptive to having his eyes open, just based on the description of him. If youve been in the Army for more than a year, you know that every unit has their own unique traditions. The whole experience just changed the entire trajectory of their career and also the field of emergency preparedness. Dropped about $1500 which basically emptied my bank account. As a teacher I participated in lockdown drills and in ALICE training, which is the run-hide-fight style that I guess is more popular now, rather than the hide-and-lock-the-door style we used to do. A man that old fashioned is going to shut you down fast and tell you just stay home. It wasnt all employees that attended, but a large number of people were part of it. I snuck out between the lecture piece and the hands-on drill to sob in my office and then go home sick for the rest of the day. 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. So feel free to call in sick. Others believe that you should use your weekends to relax and recharge. Ive been participating in active shooter drills since high school, know about run-hide-fight, and have friends who have lost siblings to gun violence. Yeah, do an internet search for Catholic Charities and active shooter. Im now almost 36 and Ive never held a gun, and aside from police (who have it bolstered), Ive never seen a gun in real life. Its very ableist to assume that all people can crouch/somehow hide for hours at a time without feeling pain. If you are in the National Guard or Reserves, you may be required to participate in drill weekends. The waiver was problematic in many ways and I declined to sign it (and to participate). (And get a pizza delivered to your address. Heck, my dad worked in the Pentagon post 9/11, D.C. Sniper, and Virginia Tech and threat training was like an hour. For context, I work at a facility that stores large quantities of hazardous materials. 1. Many religions have weekly religious events. Reading your letter, I immediately jumped to the call out sick recommendation. The kids at that school KNEW A SHOOTING COULD HAPPEN. Why is it gaining popularity amount employees and it is not exactly a bad thing? In the end, escape room idea was scratched and we did a scavenger hunt instead. I work for a public-facing government agency. There is no value in this type of training. When I was in high school my best friend died in a car crash. I didnt read through all of the comments, so perhaps this is addressed upthread. Also: Now after 30 years, trying to get out of teaching. For example: "Due to some past history that I don't want to go into at work, I am going to opt of out Tuesday's training.". Also want to say: I hear that there are differences between younger folks experience and us middle aged people who grew up prior to mass school shootings being so frequent. For example, an evacuation drill might reveal that the intended exit route is actually inaccessible because its blocked by blackberry thicket (true story), or a fire drill could show you that the fire alarm isnt audible in one part of the building (also true story). A person who cant handle those wouldnt be able to work those jobs. If youre curious I can expand on that, but I dont want to derail the thread. Basically a small org thought they were getting a powerpoint presentation and instead someone showed up with a real gun shooting blanks. If you decide to go with one of the previous options, I wish you luck, strength and eloquence. Have a great night. If youre lucky or skilled enough to have made it to the finals, theres no reason why you should have to miss out because of work. According to the National Guard, these circumstances include but are not limited to: If your unit is one of the many that has had to cancel its Drill Weekend, dont despair! But if you dont know what the siren sounds like, how are you going to know what it is? By the same token, a person who cant deal with guns being fired in their vicinity is unlikely to be able to work as a law enforcement officer, particularly in the US. It took maybe 30 minutes total. Best case, that employee will now have even more inside information about strategies, hiding places, and escape routes. The babysitter just called and told me she c. nt make it today Thats all you need to say to them. I can not imagine what possible justification there is to spend an entire workday on this. When I was at job from hell, looking at a full day meeting from hell that would solve nothing and put me in a similar place to the OP, I seriously considered getting takeout with my allergen in in, dramatically puking in a trashcan, and leaving for the evening/next day. With Katrina, it was a mix of local ordinances & state laws which essentially banned communications on specific frequencies. Im going to put out there that people often laugh in situations like this to diffuse discomfort and emotionally distance themselves from the situation. Exactly. We had to hide in our offices under the desks. You can only use this one if its raining there. Active shooter, hurricane (southeastern state), chemical spill, fire. (Unless maybe it was kitty snuggling trainingmight be up for 7 hours of that.). Criminals have bad aim and bullets dont discriminate. When you are in charge of leading a class of kindergarteners into a hiding spot for their drill its a little hard to be removed from the situation. We had emergency drill training (which did include a segment on active shooters), and from the get go there were multiple training options presented. 3) Find a friend to talk to during drill. Where the repetition is frequent, not annually at best. Welcome to teaching in America! It's easy to learn and can be used by non-developers to create amazing websites. 3. Im so sorry. Agree. Categories + 18moretakeoutthe remedy diner, tupelo honey, and more; For more info, please see our Earnings Disclosure. I decided to take charge of my horrific dating life and go on an actual date. So yes, after a while you realize not much will change and there is nothing you can do about it and you dont understand why people dont careand you never see any photos of dead children so it is almost theoretical and what can you do so you just get numb. As the first step in run-hide-fight, you totally should call in sick, say you are running. They also handwaved off the fact that we work in a giant glass fishbowl and cant remotely lock the doors like you can with many other buildings on campus. I cant tell you the number of times roads and tube stops were closed off and wed mutter not another bloody bomb threat and turn around. CLICK HERE to get your copy from Book Depository. Part of our run-hide-fight training is a very well-done, professionally-shot video set on our hospital campus. Its probably an insurance thing. Precisely, More Training Needed. Columbine happened when I was in college, so I was incredibly lucky to have missed those kinds of drills as a young person. But its a good skill to have that will serve you well in your career. (Voting to change policies CAN help, but not the way were doing it.). With 58th BfSB, it looks like i only have one drill in conflict with this semester. how do you handle soldiers and college? Basically it was a whole thing staged as if some classmates had gotten in a car with a drunk driver and died, involving the local law enforcement, paramedics, etc., and framed as if it was actually happening and not a drill. Has your boss given you any information on who is putting on this training, what their credentials are, and what evidence they have that this exercise is in anyway effective, informative, or safe? I supervise a manager who falsified an employee write-up but I dont think she should be fired, getting out of shared intern housing, why are so many executives condescending, and more. Not a lot you can say to that. 9 drill periods in one year it typically starts the discharge process. Maybe hes friendly, but that doesnt equate to nice or kind. There were two separate school shootings in my district in the time frame that I was middle school through high school. by It may help to know as a 5th option for opt out that the law enforcement facilitators will almost always offer the opportunity for individuals to opt out of simulation portions by self identifying at the very beginning of the training. Hey [Name], sorry cant do tonight. And then, afterwards, we got the WORST LECTURE EVER from a crying teacher telling us that if this was real wed all be dead because of our collective inability to JUST BEHAVE OURSELVES and BE QUIET for half an hour. Im sorry for the loss of your loved one and for your own experience too. Im aware of the exits on campus, and my personal area is chock full of hiding spaces. Heck see if you can schedule an appointment JUST FOR THAT DAY. College is not a good excuse for not attending drill. Yes, such a good suggestion to take 2 days off. The entire video was him sitting in an empty conference room talking. CLICK HERE to get your copy from Book Depository. 1) Wont happen herewe are nowhere near the big city where these things happen. or say youd been experiencing extreme menstrual/PMS symptoms. Adults with postsecondary qualifications will earn significantly more than those with only high school education, so it is a recognized pathway to a more comfortable life with a stable income. Building layouts is easy and fast, making it ideal to create mockups and wireframes, prototyping a design, and creating the website itself. One last thought- I know theres no grandboss per se, but is there a CEO or owner? It is not unreasonable to expect a weekend rest after a hard weeks work. The half day will be for transportation. They dont have to be genuine for you. Im sure its some package a security company sold someone. (Id clue in a coworker who could text when that part is over. Seven hours of active shooter training for ordinary office employees? They had to go door to door knocking to tell people to leave.