When you look back on yourself even 6 months from now, youll be glad you did. - Short answer, no. No one processed the paperwork and the slot got filled up every single time. I have never ever called in sick for any reason other than actually being too sick to leave my bed. Im so sorry. Privacy Policy. Also, youre making some broad assumptions here about the quality of training delivered in all workplaces. Large auditorium. Many would not even know to run if we told them; they cannot comprehend the danger. It was a tough meeting. (This shooting range has since gone on to have neo-Nazi ties and host fundraising events with certain family members of certain politicians. Ive asked for a more specific agenda but Im not sure I will get one. Yeah, hes insensitive and unempathetic. They left FEMA after Katrina to join another agency which was setting up an emergency preparedness team as a result of what went wrong during Katrina. I dont worry about gun violence in my daily life, like, ever. 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. A total of 27.2% of working people volunteered, compared to just 21.4% of unemployed people. Weve had enough fires in our building (five during 2020-2021) that everyone knows the fire sprinklers go off and the big problem is flooding. BUPERS Instruction 1001.39F. That's fine. My school responded with were going to ring the fire alarm at X time, dont go outside, its too cold and this is ridiculous anyway. Thankfully it was a cold winter and after a few temperature reports to whoever mandated it and a lot of angry parents (especially at other schools who did make kids stand outside on a day that was probably -10F), that stopped. I doubt it. Part of our run-hide-fight training is a very well-done, professionally-shot video set on our hospital campus. On a serious note this post and the sheer volume of responses speaking to this issue as being so common scares me so much. It happens so much and theres nothing we can really do about it (other than vote and organize), so \_()_/. Also, skip the hair routine, finger brush it out. They had to go door to door knocking to tell people to leave. I think Alisons advice is really good. Teachers arent allowed to opt out. Exactly. Ours was a few days long, they played a sound over the PA every [whatever number of minutes it is that someone dies from drunk driving], and they staged the crash on the football field and made us all go look. It really hit home how different of a world these kids are in even from the one we were in. Even worse was what they advocated we teach kids they expected that we would teach 5-year-olds to run in a zigzag pattern across the playground and show them a safe location to run to (like the next school down the street), or discuss the possibility of an active shooter with them every fall. Active shooter, hurricane (southeastern state), chemical spill, fire. The messaging was very much this is the best way to keep you from getting killed, take your own life into your hands and fight back! And its like, well, given the current gun laws, yes, this is my best option but it felt insulting to be told this. Between the GUN SHOTS outside the classroom, and the unbelievably unqualified instructor who gleefully talked about all the times his hyper-vigilance protected his girlfriend on the mean streets of our farm state, it was too much. It demystifies mindfulness and shows you the many simple ways to be mindful while carrying on with your life. I also dislike the concept of being locked in a room. I am a complete chicken- I once got dragged to a haunted house and I had a panic attack and they had to turn the lights on and call EMS. The day she got back to the office, there was news of multiple mass shootings in the States and she was so unaffected. If youre interested in further reading, weve also included links to our trusted resources and related posts below. Run around with fake guns pretend shooting you. *sounds like a mass-shooter drill from the jokes the boss is making. Sometimes the messages are after the fact, to let us know that the school was on lockdown, but everything is ok now. I was forced to go through an active-shooter training despite protests, and when a group of us were able to push back as a group, I used the word consent a lot. I know many of them are probably fine, but many are also horror themed. That made a huge difference in everyones mindset regarding the training. Its not as full on as what the OP saying, theres no law enforcement or reenactment. It isnt helpful. Would a forklift operator be able to opt out of forklift classes on the same grounds? But I watched the required active shooter training video so I guess thats all I need <- sarcasm/ Oof. I literally had a panic attack and left. Some people either dont want any gun laws modified as they think that is the start of taking away all gun rights and also now there is such hatred for the political partyso their representatives vote against it. Ugh. Here are some valid excuses for missing drill: They youd be able to get your note without having to have an excuse, you legit had to miss because you had an appointment that day. No one likes drill weekend. and stick to your story. Here are some valid excuses for missing drill: 1. Im aware of the exits on campus, and my personal area is chock full of hiding spaces. OP, if you were to talk to your boss, and he says again you wouldnt be able to take it or something else similarly egregious, you can use the time-honored response, Im not sure what you mean.. Everytown has some resources regarding that as well. This is basically a formal warning letting you know that if you miss another drill weekend, there will be consequences. But last summer I had to attend one of these trainings at work (though much shorter) and I completely melted down. 7 hour training is Crisis Porn. Your friend would be a monster for thinking that youre anything other than a concerned pet parent who has to look after their sweet child. Also also- there is no way in heck a seven hour (!??) You haven't started studying for your exam tomorrow. Im probably among the youngest USians not to grow up with these drills; Columbine happened when I was in high school, and at that time we regarded it as an awful but anomalous eventwe had no idea what was coming. We all know how hard it gets to pull off financially at the last dates of the month. Multiple employees thought it was real, panic ensued, injuries occurred, and theyre all traumatized. Is it even living, or is it just surviving? Worst case, they might show up to work armed, and their colleagues would assume its all part of the training.. A teacher friend told me shes never been so proud and so sad as when one of her students went to the supply closet and distributed scissors and protractors to his classmates during a suspected active shooter event. However, you will be expected to train regularly and participate in drills and exercises. Not to mention, what are people with physical disabilities supposed to do? That sounds horrible and not at all like a good use of time. Im so sorry, OP. So,I am going out on dinner with him. Even though we always we given advance notice of a drill. This LW has done THIS TYPE of drill so has met her obligation and should have no guilt or issue dropping out of this particular drill. Before things finally came to a head). As I'm boarding the plane I thought for sure I was going to die or wanted to. Separately, my cousins kid came home from kindergarten sobbing because she thought a drill was an actual shooter event. 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. But youve already established your workplace isnt likely to be reasonable. The active shooter training was a short part of the overall agenda. And despite having been through all that, my organization has never had a seven hour training for employees. OP call in sick if your boss continues to be a jerk about this. To effectively use these excuses, avoid any unnecessary long details, and stick to your story. Im in my late 40s and Columbine happened very late in HS for me so I must admitId be a person who would not have anticipated this reaction. What poor timing! The number of are you feeling ok questions made me never skip it again. I already think about mass shootings every single day, including every time Im in a crowded public place, and while I would be happy to read about the hiding protocol or do a self-defense practice, the idea of experiencing a full-scale active simulation makes me feel physically ill. Call me paranoid, but I cant think of a bigger threat to security than announcing an all-day active shooter drill in advance. It traumatized her. what about people who cannot lift a chair? If they can do it, so can anyone else. So better use that if its the 20th or later of the month. Here are a few professional ways to deal with gossip at work! Add to the fact that you shouldn't be U'ed if the SM provided a valid excuse. Use it to your advantage! Its not that I dont care or think its fine: I feel very grim when I read about the latest shooting(s), in a f this country way similar to how I react to new abortion bans or anti-LGBTQ+ bills, and I hate the online active shooter training module I have to do yearly for my job. I suppose on some level I feel like, there is nothing I can do to prevent it if its going to happen, and I dont have the reflexes that drilling would train into me to be assessing or thinking about what I might do if it did. A lot of resources on everytown.org if youd like to read more: You say hes a nice guy, but For example, if you have more than three unexcused absences in a row, or more than six unexcused absences in a year, you could face disciplinary action. Pretty sure I called in sick that day. This means there needs to be a fair balance between times where you work, rest, and do what makes you happy. And we have false alarms all the timeeither people are doing something clueless like venting burned toast to the hallway instead of the windows, theyre pulling alarms on purpose, theyre tampering with the wiringor the system is just glitching. The drill was ultimately canceled after my employers legal counsel also reviewed the release and advised that an employer should not be asking employees to sign it. You could call in sick that day. Im a big proponent of safety drills. Thats it. Nice people care when someone is distressed. Sadly, its not a very exclusive club. My apartment building has so many drills (false alarms) that maybe 12 people out of 102 units (some with 2 people, so more than 102 tenants) bother to evacuate when the alarms go off in the apartment AND hallway. I didnt want to go to the active shooter training (not a drill, a presentation) but went anyway to be a team player. My supervisor (largest waste of space ever) still talks about how much fun she had getting shot at with foam disks. Its not that he cant understand. I mean your boss sounds delightful so maybe he is concerned he may be a target, but the chances of you ever needing to use that mass-shooting situation at work is low. If the host does not know about your dating life, you can easily go with this one. We had fire drills when I was a kid; that was back in the 60s. College is a priority. The irony of school kids being taught run-hide-fight when theres so little that they could use to fight withat my desk I have tons of makeshift weapons that could indeed inflict great bodily harm if I had to. This is what Im stuck on. She knows what to do. When my grandkid was 5 their school was involved with an active shooter, luckily, it was resolved fairly quickly, but thinking about how it could have happened still makes me shake. There are a million other much more reasonable ways to devise a safety plan. We also have a conscript army, which means that the vast majority of young men and an increasing number of women who volunteer learn to use firearms appropriately. They dont even have scissors at their desks. Call in sick. It ruined my entire week-end. There were two separate school shootings in my district in the time frame that I was middle school through high school. If there is valuable information being conveyed, I want to know it, but the toll on my mental health if I do this training is going to be immense, and I cannot imagine what content they will be teaching that I havent already heard and internalized many times before. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "adc1af5dd80e55ae1e3f646224ebba55" );document.getElementById("a603c4a483").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Subscribe to all comments on this post by RSS, Email (Optional will display your Gravatar). Wanted to add that I agree the real problem is in the proliferation of guns and the lawlessness favored bycertain politicians. Otherwise, its always a really hard day. That said, there is a little bit of the risk involved because either you will end up making them feel bad or you will actually have to leave your house if they say yes. You have a family emergency. Have a great night! 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. Rush inside? Call in sick, OP, please. My unit was pretty strict though, so who knows. All we can do is raise awareness, look out for safety hazards, and hold fire drills and practice our escape routes once in a while. Pardon me if I dont exactly trust law enforcement to do your training for one minute let alone seven hours. Women are also more likely than men to work two jobs and 6.9% of all workers are employed at more than two jobs. Thats such a heartbreaking thing to hear and yet, I understand why shes thinking about it. 1. According to the National Guard, these circumstances include but are not limited to: I full stop do not trust any training that requires multiple hours and comfortable clothes. So weird, right? The perfect, no commitment excuse. We report anything that looks suspicious in the parking lot. And boy, was it poorly handled. The drills at my college last about 15-20 minutes. I will have to miss 1.5 days of the conference to make it to drill on time. Active shooter drills and lockdown drills are one of the few that my kids take seriously. In the military, missing 4 hours of a required training equals one unexcused absence. Never give a straightforward "yes" when someone tries to make plans. 4) Events start to fade, we dont want to be known by that one day, we can slack off on training. My school ran its fire drill annually, in the autumn term when the weather was still nice enough that we could reasonably stay outside for a bit without freezing. Hey [Name], my stomach is not in the best of conditions at the moment so its probably best for everyone if I stay at home this evening. Two toddlers during Sandy Hook. Now, chill and relax. The training process can take awhile, so dont expect to be an expert overnight. Well I thought a good excuse would be to call in sick which I did. It was on my mind constantly. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. We were left on our own for that. Talk to your units First Sergeant or Commander if you believe you have a valid reason for being excused from an upcoming drill. Call in sick is what I would do. I am fairly traumatized by all this, because what if it IS a fire and/or flood this time and not just a glitch in the system? 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. 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. Thanks, 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. ). You Had a Flat Tire 10. Unexcused absence from an annual training or from nine or more training units in a one year period often results in a discharge from the reserve component for failing to meet the training requirements. An avian flu outbreak was even the disaster they had to simulate! 7 hours is ridiculous Id definitely call in sick. Personally I think if there are ways to prepare people that dont involve trauma, then we should do those. His work has been featured in Medium, WikiHow and Chron and is currently authoring his new book on overcoming procrastination and achieving goals. Relax away. I was out the day the training happened, but apparently it was just a cop lecture interspersed with scary videos. Im so sorry for what you went through, Doc of the Town. OP, I am so sorry youre in this situation with insensitive unthinking people. All of these take about ten minutes. We should be ashamed that we are teaching children to be prepared for violence, and to be prepared to commit violence from the time they are toddlers on. If your employment requires that you work on the weekend, organizing a spontaneous weekend away might not be possible. Tell them how you were all dressed up for this party,butat the last moment,youfoundoutthat your car tireispunctured. Uggggghhhh. They will likely require documentation supporting your request. Theyre homeschooling now. But its traumatizing for the kids to practice these drills, and honestly, if we just had some gun reforms, there would be literally no reason we should have to be subjected to this in the first place. Im so sorry this is the world were living in. Although in some professions, working on Saturdays or Sundays is necessary in order to make progress on your projects, oftentimes you may want to tell your boss you do not want to work weekends. (Like Alisons proposed it wont be possible.). Thankfully my boss was fantastic and made sure I didnt have to attend an actual training. Working too much will cause you to burn out, which will be detrimental to your productivity and mental health.