Things I learned at work today....

Today, yes it is Saturday, while at work I learned the following things:

• One fire alarm bell is right next to my desk.
• Flashing lights due to the fire alarm are really annoying.
• It can take more than 45 minutes to get someone to shut off the fire alarm (it is still going off as I write this so there is no saying how much longer this will take.
• If the fire alarm goes off, you will want to get out quickly because it can take 15+ minutes for the firetruck/firemen to drive 1.5 miles to your location.
• Firemen are willing to let you take their pictures.
• A big power outage can cause a fire alarm to go off.
• The larger your building, the longer it takes for firemen and security to walk the building looking for the fire.
• When the fire alarm goes off, for some of us the first impulse is not to exit immediately. The first impulse is to ask if this is a test and discuss whether or not we can just stay at our desks and work. Some of us entertain the thought that maybe someone can just call me if I really need to leave (what do you think the alarm was for anyway??).
• If the fire alarm is going off, and it is cold outside people will gather in the warm lobby instead of going outside.
• If the fire alarm is going off due to carbon monoxide poisoning well, people are watching the thinner smaller people closely. When they fall over the others are ready to run.
• If you are not being paid by the hour, sitting in the lobby can be a waste of time.
• Putting your headphones on and turning up the music does help buffer some of the sound of the alarm although you can TOTALLY still hear the alarm.