That is absurd. This took an hour, and I work in law enforcement! We all know how hard it gets to pull off financially at the last dates of the month. oh no, youre coming down with a bad cold the day before & have to leave early & advise youll wont be in the next day. You're going to an important family event 2. Use it to your advantage! My friend who worked at Harrods was in the Harrods bombing. Im 38 now and I still think about that day with anxiety and sadness. Best case, that employee will now have even more inside information about strategies, hiding places, and escape routes. What do you do for seven hours? Whats your advice?. He has to fly armed. No one is filling the hallways with smoke and heating door knobs during a fire drill. We did an active shooter drill at my organization and I thought it would be similar to the same drills I grew up doing (also a millennial) but it was so much worse than I imagined. There were two separate school shootings in my district in the time frame that I was middle school through high school. Im worried that would get her fired. Take care of yourself! Yelling about justice on the Internet and casting anemic votes isnt going to work. To use this excuse, you need to make a story of how awful that. Or deliberately schedule a doctor/dental appointment that day and say sorry it was the only time they could get you in. A text like this will save you up from any long unnecessary, especially if you cant come up with any other genuine sounding excuses at that moment. I have a parent in emergency preparedness who talks about how a lot of these simulated trainings came out after what happened during Hurricane Katrina. It was a practical tour of the various ways out of the building and a review locations of fire extinguishers, first aid kits, and defibrillators. I live in Washington, DC, Honestly, we (Americans) have become desensitized to it. Be prepared for unexpected expenses. We should be marching and burning government buildings and performing citizens arrests of corrupt politicians and 1%ers over this. A person who cant handle those wouldnt be able to work those jobs. For example: Due to some past history that I dont want to go into at work, I am going to opt of out Tuesdays training. If he again says something ridiculous like asking if you wouldnt be able to take it, you could say, Yes, so I wont be attending. If he tells you its mandatory and you need to attend, you can say, Then I need to request a formal, legal accommodation to opt out. Forcing people to pretend theyd died???? Anyone who schedules a 7 hour mass shooting drill is not right in their head. For context, I work at a facility that stores large quantities of hazardous materials. Another pro-tip for basic make up: if you want to pick out a lipstick/tinted lip balm that will look good on you, apply the sample to the tip of your middle finger then pinch your finger just above the first knuckle. I didnt wear makeup one day because I didnt feel like it. The five most popular were: golf, basketball, baseball/softball, soccer, and running. Heres The Correct Way To Binge The Marvel Cinematic Universe In Chronological Order I would call in sick, but Id also plan on having a doctors note ready. A friend from high school was sentenced to life in prison for committing one of the first, and worst, workplace shootings in Massachusetts. One of our providers is a speaker in an education day for LGBTQ+ providers and there was a threat called in to the event this year. We need to do better. Practicing locking doors/closing windows, leaving the building like in a fire drill, knowing how your employer sends out emergency info and the basics of what to do are perfectly sufficient and are applicable in many situations. I am not quite old enough to properly recall the gun buyback of 1996. The Drill Army Reserves is not active duty, so you wont be deployed overseas or see combat. Likenever mind the snowflakes, what about the combat veterans? 3) Train everyone! No one processed the paperwork and the slot got filled up every single time. Just be careful not to cough or sneeze or they could actually suggest a hospital visit. To use this excuse, you need to make a story of how awful that Tinderdate went to be described later to the party host. I mostly worked the busy evening shift anyway because I was at college during the day, so there was always someone else who could go instead of me. Empowering for LW, maybe. Shop hundreds of premium Divi products like Divi child themes, Divi layouts, and Divi plugins on Divi Cake, the community-driven Divi Marketplace. Combine that with the militarization of police, and these trainings are an abusive nightmare. 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). Ive been involved in a workplace shooting and its not something that needs reenacting. I hope the party goes well; perhaps we could catch up on another day/ perhaps I could buy you a drink to make it up to you? It wasnt really an active shooter simulation, but for some reason, the approach at the time was Its really important to stay silent, so try to imagine that its real as you cower in this corner. (Spoiler alert 20ish seven- and eight-year-olds are REALLY bad at playing silent sardines, even when the imaginary stakes are high.). Many many pointed questions would be asked, if they are going to make me go through that kinda nonsense Im going to insist that they are asked as many uncomfortable preparedness questions as possible. Thats just totally unreasonable. But drills for fire alarms, tornadoes, shooters, etc are necessary in my opinion. And, even calling 911 can be difficult in a real emergency. And I am of the generation that didnt have mass events constantly, Im 51. My supervisor (largest waste of space ever) still talks about how much fun she had getting shot at with foam disks. Dear god. In fact, many units have had to cancel their Drill Weekends due to budget cuts and other constraints. Now, were reminded at church that in the event of an active shooter, there are three options, in order of preference: 1) RUN! But looking back, that was not normal. Two toddlers during Sandy Hook. My husbands previous job did an active shooter training at their factory, with different employees pretending to be the shooter, complete with something like a pellet gun or paint gun (I dont remember exactly what was used). I do think that similar to an ask for PTO that saying its an appointment that cant be moved might still get pushback or be viewed as disingenuously. Would a forklift operator be able to opt out of forklift classes on the same grounds? The idea that active shooter training is effective at reducing deaths and injuries in the event of a real active shooter is not. Plus,no one wants to hear the details. I cant imagine how traumatizing a full day of that stuff, in person, would be. Which could be related to all the drywall replacement weve had to do after the fire sprinkler floods. I grew up in the era of mass shootings. Call in sick and deal with it later. Some of that context may help OP decide how they want to push back. You asked about the information parts of the training, and I can say that I have learned some first aid in these sessions that provides a little peace of mind (wound packing, improvising a tourniquet, etc.) My last workplace did the hide in your office training, which was lackluster in different ways I definitely found it mildly triggering due to experiences Ive had, and we received no training on how to protect our customers. Believe us,this works every time. Perhaps it is the most powerful excuse and totally legit, but just imagine how lame you sound when your . For more information, please view our Privacy Policy and Earnings Disclosure page. For many units, one of these traditions is Drill Weekend. Drill Weekend is a chance for soldiers to get away from the daily grind and focus on training. Because when you get out of working on the weekends, someone else will take your place. See you in hell. Seven hours of active shooter training for ordinary office employees? Here are the best way you can write a professional email at work! Somake a call and tell them how your place is flooded with water and you need to fix itas soon as possible. The site ate my previous post, so Ill do a shorter version. Otherwise, its always a really hard day. I had a young kid when Sandy Hook happened, as many of us old folks did, but even those who are childless should at least be able to imagine the trauma these drills can cause. If you know a few months out, let your unit know and submit a RST. I would argue that children shouldnt be doing these drills, either, and everyones time would be better spent working on reducing shootings overall. It was on my mind constantly. Agree late 40s without kids, and I can totally picture this being really hard. The drill was short, and we knew it was coming. This website is supported by adverts and affiliate marketing links. So our poor security guard is stuck with trying to clear the error before the fire department responds. Im sure its some package a security company sold someone. Commander's and NCO are told to have everyone present but service will not allow them to give true problem Soldiers discipline for attendance issues. *sounds like a mass-shooter drill from the jokes the boss is making. we had to watch those run-hide-fight videos at the old job and the entire time Im like how is this going to work for us. Its the worst. But youve already established your workplace isnt likely to be reasonable. I think Alisons language about what to say to your boss is really useful. Im so sorry to hear about the stomach bug you got the day of this drill. I am sorry that you have to go through the process of saying noit should not be that hard to opt out and if they push back, it is wrong on so many levels. OP, go to your primary care provider. The last time we had an active shooter drill, HR neglected to tell emergency services that it was only a drill. I like the idea of getting a doc note and or calling out sick but if OP does wind up going to work that day I would simply leave if/when an active shooter simulation starts. should I be so emotionally drained by managing? Do they also do a seven hour fire prevention and response class? 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. When he said the whole team was going and I needed to go to, I told him, I hoped they had a great time, but I would be at my desk that day and not participating. You never know when that may be useful. In addition to being traumatic for employees, it also seems like a poor use of time. Because Labor Day is around the corner and we're all thinking about that coveted three-day weekend, we thought we'd come up with a list of the Top 10 Excuses to Get Out of Work, brought to you by Bloodsucking Bastards, a comedy/horror film featuring the one office you'd like to work in even less than your own. And boy, was it poorly handled. It traumatized her. I didnt have notice of this one, and I think the most disturbing thing was that my kids have been conditioned to just accept that someone trying to kill you is a situation they should prepare for. Seemed irrelevant at the time, became surprisingly useful 15yrs later when covid showed up. It was a Jewish Organization, and the week prior was the shooting at the Temple in Pittsburgh. What are your suggestions for educators and/or students who have to do these trainings, especially those who have been affected by a real situation? Or maybe if no one from your department is going to be there. The shooting didnt follow most of the normal scripts for these things, so it was mass chaos anyway. Nope , its not. My sons had fire drills, but no active shooter drills. I still dont see any reason to simulate a real event that thoroughly. Ive found most team building exercises to be futile for their supposed purpose anyway. If something comes up that requires your immediate attention (such as a death in the family), this is considered a valid excuse for missing drill. I was thinking this, too. excuses to get out of drill weekend - rootedgames.com I know I would. So better use that if its the 20. or later of the month. But I was wondering how can reasonable accomodations include opting out of mandatory safety related training? 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. If not, why is this particular emergency getting such outsized priority? However, if the OP schedules an appointment with their GP in advance for the day of the training they can use that appointment to discuss anything theyre dealing with. (And get a pizza delivered to your address. I dont even have anxiety on this topic and I would still nope out of a 7-hour training. Updated: Monday, March 20, 2017. So why not plan this up again someday?. We had one at my former workplace. Id develop a migraine toward the end of the day before and call in the next day. Boo yeah! At the time, I had an employee for whom the video would be too much. For this office, I would avoid a mental health day and really focus on something physical. Hey Ive gotta drive to [Insert Town/College Name] to pick up [Insert Your Siblings Name] [Insert the Party Date]. Honestly, the boss Im going to take her word for it that hes a nice guy, but hes clearly demonstrated that as far as hes concerned, failing to participate is just going to be a sign that shes everything he probably secretly believes about women and Gen Z. Everyone is tired of climbing down multiple floors of stairs to stand outside in the cold in their pajamas. Somehow, the solution is always more guns. Read More 7 Common Types of Spam Emails and How to IdentifyContinue. Unfortunately, not all units are able to participate in Drill Weekends. Nope, apparently were supposed to magically ignore our actual needs as well as whether you can actually do any of this running and hiding in the building/area we work in.