Yeah they sure will, and it is a beautiful thing to see when someone has it coming. I worked at a place and the fire marshal made at least 5 visits, probably more, over a padlocked back door at a mom and pop restaurant. It was to the point where the owners mother would sit in the office watching the cameras and when he walked in she would make a beeline to the back door to remove the padlock. But in the end the fire marshal won because they had to replace the padlock with one of those push bars that automatically lock but still let people go out. But the point is, they’re not like the labor board that may make a phone call, may investigate and then radio silence for months. Fire marshal is like a dog on a bone. Resolution will be swift and persistent.
Yep I work in the realm of fire protection engineering for buildings. Every project, every time, no matter how minor, we always try to get in touch to make sure the fire Marshal knows wtf we are doing. That dude can walk up to a job site and halt a 1 billion dollar project in its tracks if they get pissed off. And they get super pissed off when something is going on that they should know about, but don't know about.
Fire Marshall will bring down the hammer of justice. I know nothing about the law but I don’t think they can withhold wages or penalize you for leaving your job when the fire alarm goes off unless you were told ahead of time “this is a test and there’s no need to get up when this happens”.
There was recently a fire in a seniors building in my city. They had a huge issue with seniors not evacuating because there had been testing that day. One guy from the floor with the fire went up and down to make sure the other floors knew it was a real fire. A few folks ended up in hospital and luckily no one died. They probably would have if not for that one senior who realized people would think the fire alarm testing was still going.
Your cities Fire Marshall - you will describe to him what happened and when you get the part when your supervisor not let you vacate the premises - he/she will come down on your whole company and the supervisor in particular. It is against the law.
Fire Marshals are great. They have the authority to issue fines, shut down businesses, and arrest people like a cop. But they aren't cops, they're firefighters, so they actually *WANT* to help people with that power.
I had a former boss who got ripped a new one on several occasions for flagrant violations. And this was AFTER having a total loss fire at the business. They also got fined badly and had to send everyone home until the hazard was rectified on one occasion. The fire marshall isn’t messing around 😁
Fire Marshall. And *also* OSHA and the labor dept.
Forcing employees to ignore fire alarms is like, fkng [Triangle Shirtwaist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire) levels of labor violation, historically-speaking.
I would make a habit of just... kind of checking that the fire exits aren't blocked/locked. Just in case.
I feel like this is due to Fire Fighters having the appearance of a typical police officer, but without the baggage that comes from being a cop.
And yeah, call the fire department/fire marshal. Depending on the size of the town/city you live in, you might have to wait for an inspector from a different area, but they definitely will have some choice words for whoever prevented an exit during a fire alarm.
Cop is short for police. They "police" an area. Protecting property, which is their only actual duty.
A marshall pursues justice. They track wanted felons and investigate crimes. Protecting people first.
That's why a Fire Marshall is so effective. Their main duty is to make sure businesses and public areas conform to policies put in place to protect people FIRST in an emergency situation. They aren't just in charge of fire codes. They also make sure defibrillators are present when needed, and that gurnies can have access during a medical emergency. They ensure that first responders have the best chance to help people.
Therefore they are given some of they strongest enforcement tools , such as shutting businesses down immediately, or telling groups of people that they have to disperse. Fear the Marshall's disfavor.
Well thank y'all for pointing this stuff out for us dunce caps at the back of the class! I just spent way too long thinking about the distinction in my head between "cops" and like the Federal Marshal from that show Eureka.
Decided that "cops" are the ones trying to look like Darth Vader going into a warzone, and the rest get proper titles because they're not clearly imitating the baddies.
"I would make a habit of just... kind of checking that the fire exits aren't blocked/locked. Just in case."
This. It's not just stupidvisors who block fire exits, all kinds of idiots do it. "Oh, we never have fires here."
I worked in a plastics shop and one of the supervisors had buried not one, but two. **TWO** firehoses in the back storage area.
Told the shop manager about the hoses being blocked and he lost it on the super that did it.
That place was so toxic, and it wasn't just the materials 🙃
I fucking wish OSHA had the power and the balls of a local fire Marshal. Dudes give no fucks, see something illegal and unsafe, they shut shit down. They will condemn your fucking building under you until you fix it. And for good reason.
My dudes are like local county and state elected officials and walk around with more power than a god damn US senator. My god I do love local and state government powers when they work for the people.
First of all you don't listen to them, you make sure you are safe first and then deal with the fallout later.
Did your whole office really just sit there and hope not to die? That's sad af.
> Did your whole office really just sit there and hope not to die? That's sad af.
By the wording OP gave us, it read to me that they really just sat this and **hoped** ***to*** die.
A COO I worked for in the past would have escorted that Supervisor from the building within one second of hearing that report.
He was responsible for a factory in China where some people died in a fire and the exits were blocked. Every single time he visited the factory for the company I worked, he personally inspected the fire exits.
There is no excuse for such a lapse in judgement.
If the building has a safety officer or facilities manager, alert them. In the future, ignore your boss and leave.
We had drills every 6 months to test the system, but they sent out emails prior to the alarm. Otherwise, always treat it like a real fire.
If your boss makes it a problem, follow up with HR, and forward the notice sent to the safety/facilities manager. Then, I suspect they will all have a conversation with your boss.
Yes, unless you receive advance notice the alarms will be going off and to disregard them, you exit the building.
Office managers are not equipped or trained to tell a false alarm from a real one.
Source: I'm a facilities manager and am trained and experienced enough to know. And if it is a false alarm I'll be the one taking the flak for it, not you. GTFO.
Policies and laws trump your supervisor. That’s why our ancestors fought so hard for worker’s rights. Factories and companies locked and chained exits so when there really was a fire they either burnt alive or jumped out the windows. The evacuation procedure wasn’t followed so the fire marshal and OSHA must be notified of an unsafe work environment.
Fire Marshall will literally lockout the doors if the location doesn't follow life safety requirements. Like... its not optional- no matter what your employer says.
Yep, this isn’t a pay the fine situation, it’s a, comply immediately or your business is closed forever kinda situation. Fire marshals don’t mess around
yea because if it was real it's definitely them that have to go save a whole unit over this bullshit... putting their lives in danger since the alarm was ignored....
Just leave. Let them try to fire you.
During the California fires in like 2007 I worked on cars. We got evacuated, corporate said no one leaves or they’re fired. We were like eh whatever fires not here. One guy left. Not even half an hour later the fire Marshall showed up and shut the shit down and kept it closed for like 2 weeks. Found all kinds of little shit.
The fire Marshall don’t fuck around. And they don’t take kindly to asshole employers
If the fire alarm goes you leave. You do not need to listen to the supervisor. You would end up with a hefty payout if they fired you for evacuating when an alarm goes off.
What do you mean, won't "let" you? You're an adult. You're not a slave, not a prisoner, and not an indentured servant. So don't act like one. You don't need permission to evacuate the building when there's a fire alarm. Simply get up and go. Sorry to sound harsh, but your safety comes first. Don't sit there for five minutes waiting to hear that it's a false alarm. Bc what if it's an actual fire? Every second counts, and while everyone's sitting there waiting, it might be too late to leave. What if your exit becomes blocked during that time? I understand being afraid to lose your job, but you're not going to need a job if you die in a fire.
You leave regardless what your supervisor says, UNLESS it was a prescribed fire alarm test and your employer has permission from the fire marshall to have you continue working. I was in high school when the Hamlet Imperial Foods fire happened, and knew people who lost family because of the employer. Your health and safety are more important than the company's bottom line. [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/deadly-1991-hamlet-fire-exposed-high-cost-cheap-180964816/](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/deadly-1991-hamlet-fire-exposed-high-cost-cheap-180964816/)
If your calls are recorded, try and reach out to IT and see if you can get a copy of that call with the client/customer commenting about the fire alarm, as well as any evidence you jumped back into the queue to answer more calls, as per your bosses orders.
>I’m not allowed to talk to HR during my shift I’m certain I won’t be able to talk to them.
That's some seriously screwed up stuff.
I'd be finding another job...fast. This place sounds like a tragedy waiting to happen on soooo many levels.
Worked in a bakery. We smelled smoke. Manager told us everything was fine, to keep working. The air got visibly smauggy, and customers started complaining. My manager finally relented that there was a “small fire, but it [was] under control”. It was not. They then had us evacuate the *customers*. My coworker and I just stayed outside after evacuating them, because fuck that. We went and sat in my car as more smoke came out and the fire station came over—we were conveniently basically across the street from them, so they were able to extinguish quickly. This was during the bakery’s renovation—that they stayed fully open for—in spite of multiple instances of it causing danger to staff. Jackhammering the neighboring wall *while we were supposed to keep working like normal in the store*. Large pieces of dry wall falling into kitchen staffs heads. And an electrical fire that they told us to keep working through. Fuck that place.
Smoke and fire can spread quickly and incapacitate you. When you hear an alarm, get to an exit.
Also, people pull fire alarms for other reasons, such as an active shooter, gas leak, or if they need help.
The amount of people I see in public or at work that do not react to a fire alarm is shocking.
Former fire chief here. Definitely inform your local FD. They can bring fines. Your local fire commissioner as well, as they can bring further fines. And definitely OSHA, as they can too. There likely won’t be fines for a first report, but all three can put the fear of god into them and potentially stop any more of those shitpumps from blocking an evacuation.
Gather some more evidence before reaching out to your local fire marshal. Email said supervisor directly, Bcc-ing your personal email and your HR department. Recap the conversation as accurately and exactly as you can remember, including the time and date of the occurrence. Then ask, in no uncertain words, if they are prohibiting you from evacuating during all potential emergencies, or just fire alarms. Wait a day and whether you receive a response or not, forward your email and concerns to your local jurisdiction’s responsible party.
Enjoy the fireworks. If all goes right, you soon won’t have to answer to that shitty boss anymore.
I'm sorry you have such an asshat for a manager. I was in a building that has a bomb threat. Everyone evacuated, but no one thought to look into the internal offices that housed my department to tell us. We didn't find out until a police officer poked his head in to tell us the leave... immediately.
UpdateMe
It will likely be a city or county fire marshal email or call them be respectful and simply state that your boss would not let you evacuate when the alarm went off and you want to know if they are the correct person to contact. The fire marshal wields quite a bit of power in a limited sense and can shut the business down immediately.
This happened to me in the 90’s.
Pretty much exactly like this.
The next time it happened I got up as soon as the alarm went off and my manager asked me why I’m leaving. I told her that the fire alarm was going off. She replied that it was only a fire drill and I told her that I don’t know if that’s true or not but it doesn’t matter because the purpose of a fire drill is to practice evacuating in the case of an actual fire.
I also told her that if she has an issue with me participating in fire drills we would talk about it with her and HR when the drill was over.
I never heard another word about it.
Fire marshall, osha, the police, HR, and anyone else that will listen. This is illegal.
I'd also be recording him and the alarm going off in the background. And you telling him it's time to go as evidence that he won't let anyone leave. Note: I'd be doing this on my way out the door.
If the fire Marshal gets involved that supervisor just got your company flagged. There are no more warnings. Only citations. Also, going forward just leave. You are going to be responsible for the fine if you are cited.
This happened to my company due to an employee not leaving for a drill while the Marshall was on site.
I feel like the proper move is to put your caller on hold and dial 911. This accomplishes two things, you're telling folks who have a certain degree of authority that this is happening, AND its being done a recorded line.
JFC just ***GO!*** Fuck your sup, no job is worth dying for! If it's a false alarm it's a false alarm but the job won't care if you fucking die because your boss told you to stay and get burned alive!
In Ohio and Michigan, Dollar Generals got HUGE fines for chaining the exit back doors shut. Forcing employees to stay at work during a fire alarm is BAD.
You should call the police, this is illegal across the entire United States and is called felony entrapment. You cannot be held against your will for any reason unless you are under arrest, being detained by law enforcement or under a mental hold which would be court ordered or approved by your power of attorney.
If your manager won’t let you talk to hr during your shift I would file a complaint with hr about that as well. During your shift is the only time you should be dealing with work related issues. If you have to come in early or stay late to meet with hr outside your regular hours you should also be getting overtime for that. Sounds to me like your manager is trying to hide something about how he runs the department and there may be more issues that hr should look at.
I'd say you called the right people, but follow up, follow up, and follow up. That kind of violation is one that will most likely get your supervisor fired.
I've worked in two call centres, one for Apple and one for T-Mobile and both during training made it explicitly clear that if the fire alarm goes off while on the call, you inform the caller of the alarm and that you're dropping them back into the queue. Then you drop them into the queue and get the hell out in a safe and orderly fashion.
I'm really shocked that y'all actually listened and *risked your lives* because your supervisor is a real fucking piece of shit human.
"I'm so sorry, but the building's fire alarm is going off, you're going to have to call back." Notate quickly. Leave.
I don't give a fuck what anyone tells me. If a fire alarm is going off, I'm leaving.
My therapist told me to follow my instincts next time and I said my instinct is to do what I’m told so I don’t get in trouble and he literally said “that’s fucked up” so 🫠
No clue why nobody else left tho
I guess you didn't get to the part of therapy where you discuss why you're that brand of fucked up yet. I've had my *that's a weird face for my therapist to be making* moments, then I realize my "funny" story actually horrifying.
I realized one day after enough funny faces at parties or with friends that all of my totally hilarious life stories were actually just messed up traumatic events with no joke. Oops 🫠🫣
Fire marshal. If it's ever anything to do with fire, fire marshal. At least until OSHA and other protective Federal institutions get dismantled by the Nazis in the next few years.
It's not only over hrs head but not their job to care for you. If anything they'll just tell your supervisor you're reporting it.
I work with sprinklers that set off fire alarms for a living and it's nice to see a post like this, youd be absolutely floored to find out how many people just don't even react to a fire alarm now a days. Fire marshall like everyone else said but if they prove to be useless (they can unfortunately) try calling their entire fire prevention department.
Edit: typo
So, the alarm went off, you did not have confirmation on whether this is a drill or not? And you stayed on the phone? Is that job worth burning for? You should've left. False alarm, or drill, HR would've had your back. Your sup is a douche, report to HR or directly to the administrator.
https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/employees-kentucky-candle-factory-destroyed-deadly-tornado-file/story?id=94868226
Some asshole supervisors don’t learn. Rinse. Repeat. Those people died, I am super happy that you didn’t.
OSHA and the Labor Board then the City Fire Marshal and then the State Fire Marshal. Call them all then call your HR office and say you want extra death insurance added for your family and tell them why.
So, if there’s a fire alarm that isn’t a planned “testing” or immediately confirmed as false, you and your coworkers need to treat it as real.
I can’t help think of how many people died in the Twin Towers on 9/11/01 who assumed the fire alarm was a false alarm.
Fire alarm? I am out the door. Don't care what other people say, out the door.
I always think about 9/11 and the ferry incident where people listened and didn't evacuate.
I’d contact both. My workplace had a small fire on a Saturday right before the end of day shift. So a few workers just got in their cars and left. Some manager in security decided to shut the gate to the parking lot to keep employees from leaving their shifts early. A super smart brain move except it also prevented the fire truck from being able to get to the tens of millions in equipment and product were at risk to put out the fire. Even this company that treated employees like trash fired this manager.
And would hope most companies that found out your supervisor’s actions would fire them. That’s just stupid even from a selfish corporation standpoint. There’s no way 10 minutes of your department’s productivity from skipping a fire alarm is worth the risk of lawsuits if a bunch of employees die in fire.
No job is worth your life so if a fire alarm is going off then get out of there.
I remember working in Deerfield, FL for an electronic components company back in 1999. I was living in Ft. Lauderdale about 20 minutes away by car but didn't have a car so I was taking a bus to main depot, then a shuttle to the rail followed by another shuttle to work.
Anyway there was a Tropical Storm of the West coast that was tracking our way but we were still only under a Watch when I left that morning for work. For those unfamiliar, a Tropical Storm Watch is the possibility of TS conditions in 48 hours whereas a Tropical Storm Warning is expect those conditions in less than 36 hours.
The storm has other ideas and by 3pm my company was closing as it had made an unexpected hard turn East and sped up (not the wind speeds, but direction...think NNE at 10 mph to ENE at 25+ mph).
So, shuttle to rail, then shuttle to main bus depot... Where all bus service was shutdown upon arrival.
Thankfully after about 45 minutes sitting there, they got those of us stuck there ("No someone cannot pick me up. I take the bus because I don't have a car/ride"), they hired (their dime) taxis for myself and the others stuck there.
That was the most interesting ride I have ever been on! They packed 4 of us in a taxi and that driver had BALLS! He dropped the 1st guy off and decided the quickest path to the next was A1A. We literally took the Strip along the beach to the next drop-off. It wasn't flooded but was covered with sand.
As other have said, call the fire marshal, OSHA, the Labor Board and HR. This sort of thing is easy fodder for the local news and local politicans to soap box and easy for corporate to crack down on like they care.
Remind your supervisor of 9/11. Alot of people were told to stay where they where instead of evacuating. Some of those people would be alive today had they left the building with the others. In fact, I think there accounts of people who heard the alarms and immediately left despite being told to stay put and were so glad they did so. Next time the alarm goes off - leave. No job is worth your life. Oh and tell the supervisor you and your family will have no problem suing the hell out of that supervisor and company if you are injured or killed following inane directions.
You know just gonna say I dgaf how much you need that job, when your boss is refusing to let you leave during a fire alarm you go the fuck outside period.
I worked in Newark, NJ in the early ‘00s. One day the fire alarms went off and we couldn’t communicate with the lobby. While some people walked down (elevators were recalled to lobby) to see what was going on, the rest of us stood around wondering what to do. That’s when someone wondered if this is what employees in the WTC were thinking on 9/11. Everyone booked to their desks to grabbed their things and were ready to go just as we found out false alarm. I WFH now and while I never heard an alarm aside from a fire drill ever again, my attitude was alarm goes off and I’m out.
You tell him fuck you and you evacuate. He gets in your why then you make him move. Then you call the cops and report that you were being held against your will and sue the fuck out of the company.
Let me tell you young people something.
THIS IS YOUR LIFE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT!!! If the fire alarm is going off or a dangerous storm is coming, f*ck what your manager says!! You can get another job but you can't get another life!
If they fire you, scream from the heavens to anyone who would listen. Call the press and news stations. Let everyone know that they wanted to put your life in danger.
Stop letting these people with the smallest bit of authority put your life in danger. You have complete control over your body. You can get up and walk away whenever you want. Save yourself because your job will post your position the same day you die.
I just can't realize your superiors said "no don't evacuate on this (unplanned/not drill) fire alarm" and everyone was like "ok I die"
Do you work at Foxconn or something
Besides the obvious asinine command of your Supervisor, I’m concerned that employees aren’t allowed to speak to HR during their shifts. Get a new job elsewhere.
Time = your life in a fire, especially in modern buildings. We have gotten really good at building with materials that resist ignition but once a fire catches? You likely have only minutes (single digits) to safely evacuate most buildings before the smoke (toxic from all the chemicals, one breath can knock you unconscious) will blind you or the building collapses. Modern furniture and furnishings all contribute to extremely hot fires in buildings that are not built to last. Hollywood routinely depicts fires in ways that are not accurate for the modern world. An old oak farmhouse filled with wood furniture and wool blankets burns *much* differently than most modern houses or office spaces. If you think you can delay? You might end up dead.
We do have advances. Sprinkler systems, rooms or stairwells built to allow you to safely shelter in place, all of that. You know who makes the decisions on safety equipment at your work---it's probably the same person ordering that one ply toilet paper or getting 2 pizzas for 40 people. Unless it is mandated by law, they're not going above and beyond. Do not put your life into the hands of the same assholes that ordered Hot n Readys for Jimmy's retirement party.
Unless you're working 911 or some other life-critical service:
1. Tell person on the phone: "sorry, there's a fire alarm, we have to evacuate. Try calling back in a bit."
1. Hang up
1. Get your essentials (keys, wallet, phone), **leave everything else**.
1. Walk out to the designated area.
1. Stay until the all clear.
If your supervisor, VP, CEO or anyone else says you can't, they can fick right off. **Your safety is MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY JOB**.
Was it a fire drill? There is no such thing as a false alarm in which you shouldn't evacuate. If it's not a planned alarm, you should evacuate, do not take anyone's word but fire dept, until alarms are disabled. Unless you trust the person.
This is a situation where you grab the sup by their collar or ear and drag their ass with you out the door while yelling for everyone else to get out. You’ll probably get the newly-opened sup position for your decisive thinking and ability to take charge in a crisis!
Let you? Sorry, when the fire alarm goes off you get up and leave. There is no "won't let you" to it. If they have a problem or try disciplinary action afterwards then you have a wonderful case. If its a real fire then you can be the witness that explains why everyone else perished.
It’s possible your company will take action against your supervisor. With both a drill or an alarm there is generally fire response. It’s common for an evacuation to be timed and the company can fail the timed limit. This can impact insurance premiums. I haven’t been involved in the admin side of building management for quite some time but I do recall being penalized. We then started to cheat and turn off the phones in the call center and inform the employees when the drill was scheduled.
My spouse’s work is similar to what you’re describing - call center environment. When his supervisors are informed of an upcoming fire drill, they have one or two designated team members that stay on the phones. They tell them morning of and also tie a balloon onto the person(s) staying to continue helping customers.
Your supervisor needs to look at safety procedures. As others have said, call the local fire marshal.
Isn’t that how a lot of people were killed in the twin towers? I vaguely remember people were told to stay in their offices to avoid a panic rush down the stairwells.
Your company is required by OSHA 29 CFR 1910.38(a) to create a written emergency action plan, and it is required to be available to all employees. If the company has more than 10 employees An emergency action plan must be in writing, kept in the workplace, and available to employees for review.
Your employee may have a partial evacuation plan, but they are required to specify that option in their EAP.
One place I worked, there was smoke coming out of the HVAC vents. Fire trucks pulling up outside. Supervisor says “There’s a small fire in the roof AC. Fire department should have it under control soon. No need to go outside, we’re all safe”.
Guess who was out the door in 30 seconds?
Sounds like a Fire Marshall/OSHA issue. The Labor Board mostly handles issues pertaining to employment discrimination, illegal union busting, and wage theft.
You probably won’t read this because there are already so many comments, but I’ll add my 2 bits anyway.
I understand the mental trauma of abusive over controlling parents, so you need ways of “giving yourself permission”, now I’m not in the USA, so I’m also just going off what I’ve seen on TV & I accept that information may not be accurate- but my understanding is-
In an office environment there are individuals that act as emergency coordinators/ fire marshals (? Not sure of the correct terminology here) in fire situations for different areas of the building, that lead the evacuation during a fire alarm, & make sure everyone has evacuated.
Find a way to train up to become that person. That will give YOU the highest authority in that situation. You won’t have to ask for permission to evacuate, because it will be your responsibility to make sure everyone in your designated area evacuates.
Knowledge is power. Knowing what needs to be done & then doing it, is part of that power.
Also, in my country (Australia) aprox 90% of all firefighters are volunteers, I have been a volunteer at a local fire brigade & it’s really rewarding even though I was not what they call operational (actually fighting fires) because I’m disabled. I helped out in other ways, & even if I couldn’t participate in some of the training, I always showed up to the training days because you don’t need to actually be doing something to learn how it’s done! So, if you think volunteering may be something you’d be interested in, I would highly recommend it- it’s also a great way to build up your self esteem.
I’m late to the party as usual and I hope you see this.
I’m a fire inspector and set off fire alarms daily in occupied buildings for testing. It is way more common than people are portraying for people to stay and not have a clue what to do when the fire alarms go off. I see it daily. They sit at their desk/work station and look around to see what is happening and have no idea what to do. You are not alone. Forget about anyone saying anything negative to you.
As to answer your question, call your local fire department and ask for a captain or the fire marshal. You will be asked what the call is about. Explain you situation as you have here. They will be VERY INTERESTED to learn this is happening. Please please please do this not just for yourself but the other people in your department. This is stupidity and very dangerous on management’s part.
I want to add that depending on the type of fire detection or prevention systems installed the fire could have started up to 5 minutes before the alarms go off. Once you add the 5 to 8 minutes you’re told to stay, the fire has been going for 10 to 13 minutes. Thats gonna be one hell of a fire and minutes matter in this situation. The average time for fire fighters to arrive is another 7.5 minutes on average. Do with this info what you will but I’ve seen the aftermath of many fires and wouldn’t want to be around any of it while it’s happening. Good luck.
Legit actual fire? You punch/kick/attack the guy as violently as possible with any weapon you can grab, put them down as hard and permanently as possible and use them to block the fire while you escape. The fire will handle the evidence. Make sure you tell the fire brigade no, there's no humans left inside.
Fire drill, yeah, call the local fire marshal.
If you don't think you are getting in contact with your city/county fire marshal correctly, go down to the local fire department and ask to speak to a chief or another supervisor. They would probably go in and kick ass themselves until the fire marshal can get out there.
You contact the fire marshal. Then you email HR, your boss, your bosses boss plus BCC your personal account. Ask if there is a reason your manager would force you to stay when the fire alarm is going off in your area. That's it. Keep it simple and watch them freak out. It's better if you have other co-workers send the same email AND call the fire marshal. If you're lucky you'll end up with a new boss.
I’m wondering what would have happened had you ignored your supervisor and left the building as required? If you were fired, I’d imagine that would be grounds for a lawsuit.
Fire drills are usually mandated by your city or county fire department and they are right there watching and timing the evacuation. I know because my company got in trouble for evacuating too slowly, so we had many city-mandated drills. We had to do drills over and over until we got it right.
Fire commissioner is not the same as the fire Marshal. Commissioner is just a high up admin for the fire department. Marshall is the one who does inspection/enforcement. May also be called fire prevention office, fire police, or fire investigator.
You may have a local fire Marshal, such as https://www.chesco.org/3547/Fire-Marshals-Office
Otherwise, the state police provide this service. Contact your local troop: https://www.pa.gov/en/agencies/psp/contact-psp/psp-troop-directory.html
It was about that, yes. That’s why my caller eventually was like wtf. As far as I know nobody else’s caller said anything, but idk for sure. I’m the only one who had the audacity to get out of my seat, even though it was still to clarify my instructions. I hope other callers said something… or they’re also inhumane af
In the US? Contact your state's Fire Marshall
Seriously. No one will put a pos who endangered others in their place like a fire marshal!
Yeah they sure will, and it is a beautiful thing to see when someone has it coming. I worked at a place and the fire marshal made at least 5 visits, probably more, over a padlocked back door at a mom and pop restaurant. It was to the point where the owners mother would sit in the office watching the cameras and when he walked in she would make a beeline to the back door to remove the padlock. But in the end the fire marshal won because they had to replace the padlock with one of those push bars that automatically lock but still let people go out. But the point is, they’re not like the labor board that may make a phone call, may investigate and then radio silence for months. Fire marshal is like a dog on a bone. Resolution will be swift and persistent.
Yep I work in the realm of fire protection engineering for buildings. Every project, every time, no matter how minor, we always try to get in touch to make sure the fire Marshal knows wtf we are doing. That dude can walk up to a job site and halt a 1 billion dollar project in its tracks if they get pissed off. And they get super pissed off when something is going on that they should know about, but don't know about.
Do all states have a fire marshal?!
They do indeed.
“LET ME SHOW YOU SOMETHING!!”
Fuck yeah, in my experience Fire Marshalls are the epitome of FAFO
Lots of people don't know many states give Fire Marshals LEO status and can make arrests.
Not if he's invited to Satan's party
Agree! They’ve seen the horrid outcomes when people don’t practice those very basic things.
Ty!
Just hope that his name is Bill.
Lemme show ya somethin'!
Fire Marshall will bring down the hammer of justice. I know nothing about the law but I don’t think they can withhold wages or penalize you for leaving your job when the fire alarm goes off unless you were told ahead of time “this is a test and there’s no need to get up when this happens”.
There was recently a fire in a seniors building in my city. They had a huge issue with seniors not evacuating because there had been testing that day. One guy from the floor with the fire went up and down to make sure the other floors knew it was a real fire. A few folks ended up in hospital and luckily no one died. They probably would have if not for that one senior who realized people would think the fire alarm testing was still going.
Fire Marshal's don't fuck around either!
All 3.
Your cities Fire Marshall - you will describe to him what happened and when you get the part when your supervisor not let you vacate the premises - he/she will come down on your whole company and the supervisor in particular. It is against the law.
Would LOVE to see the fire marshal chew him out
Fire Marshals do not fuck around; they only care about fire safety.
Fire Marshals are great. They have the authority to issue fines, shut down businesses, and arrest people like a cop. But they aren't cops, they're firefighters, so they actually *WANT* to help people with that power.
I had a former boss who got ripped a new one on several occasions for flagrant violations. And this was AFTER having a total loss fire at the business. They also got fined badly and had to send everyone home until the hazard was rectified on one occasion. The fire marshall isn’t messing around 😁
Fire Marshall. And *also* OSHA and the labor dept. Forcing employees to ignore fire alarms is like, fkng [Triangle Shirtwaist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire) levels of labor violation, historically-speaking. I would make a habit of just... kind of checking that the fire exits aren't blocked/locked. Just in case.
This is the right answer. Alert as many government agencies as possible for anything related to workplace safety.
But Fire Marshal is worst...considering many different way they can shut down a business over OHSA...oh, and Fire Marshal have actual worst bite.
I feel like this is due to Fire Fighters having the appearance of a typical police officer, but without the baggage that comes from being a cop. And yeah, call the fire department/fire marshal. Depending on the size of the town/city you live in, you might have to wait for an inspector from a different area, but they definitely will have some choice words for whoever prevented an exit during a fire alarm.
Cop is short for police. They "police" an area. Protecting property, which is their only actual duty. A marshall pursues justice. They track wanted felons and investigate crimes. Protecting people first. That's why a Fire Marshall is so effective. Their main duty is to make sure businesses and public areas conform to policies put in place to protect people FIRST in an emergency situation. They aren't just in charge of fire codes. They also make sure defibrillators are present when needed, and that gurnies can have access during a medical emergency. They ensure that first responders have the best chance to help people. Therefore they are given some of they strongest enforcement tools , such as shutting businesses down immediately, or telling groups of people that they have to disperse. Fear the Marshall's disfavor.
Fire Marshall's are cops
Oh yeah, that's what Marshall means.
Well thank y'all for pointing this stuff out for us dunce caps at the back of the class! I just spent way too long thinking about the distinction in my head between "cops" and like the Federal Marshal from that show Eureka. Decided that "cops" are the ones trying to look like Darth Vader going into a warzone, and the rest get proper titles because they're not clearly imitating the baddies.
Federal marshals are just as piggy as local cops
Fire Marshall is right up there with the Postal Police on the list of "Government Officials you DO NOT want to piss off"
"I would make a habit of just... kind of checking that the fire exits aren't blocked/locked. Just in case." This. It's not just stupidvisors who block fire exits, all kinds of idiots do it. "Oh, we never have fires here."
I worked in a plastics shop and one of the supervisors had buried not one, but two. **TWO** firehoses in the back storage area. Told the shop manager about the hoses being blocked and he lost it on the super that did it. That place was so toxic, and it wasn't just the materials 🙃
I totally thought of the triangle shirtwaist factory too!! Checking fire exits is def good advice...
And hopefully the company itself. I’d fire that manager on the spot. Well, and I also would have just left.
Call directly to the fire marshall, watch for a posting for a new supervisor
This, the fire marshals don’t fuck around
I fucking wish OSHA had the power and the balls of a local fire Marshal. Dudes give no fucks, see something illegal and unsafe, they shut shit down. They will condemn your fucking building under you until you fix it. And for good reason. My dudes are like local county and state elected officials and walk around with more power than a god damn US senator. My god I do love local and state government powers when they work for the people.
First of all you don't listen to them, you make sure you are safe first and then deal with the fallout later. Did your whole office really just sit there and hope not to die? That's sad af.
This is the world they have tried to train us for exactly. Obey the taskmaster unequivocally.
https://preview.redd.it/s8c62v1lkjbd1.jpeg?width=1400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cd1001daae0fc6a4ae5b36775de4ec8572d3f9fe
Damn, now *why in the hell* did I put that box of special sunglasses 😎 in a trash can "for safekeeping"??
And we didn't have an awesome 15 minute fight scene 😔
Just put on the glasses!
> Did your whole office really just sit there and hope not to die? That's sad af. By the wording OP gave us, it read to me that they really just sat this and **hoped** ***to*** die.
A COO I worked for in the past would have escorted that Supervisor from the building within one second of hearing that report. He was responsible for a factory in China where some people died in a fire and the exits were blocked. Every single time he visited the factory for the company I worked, he personally inspected the fire exits. There is no excuse for such a lapse in judgement.
If the building has a safety officer or facilities manager, alert them. In the future, ignore your boss and leave. We had drills every 6 months to test the system, but they sent out emails prior to the alarm. Otherwise, always treat it like a real fire. If your boss makes it a problem, follow up with HR, and forward the notice sent to the safety/facilities manager. Then, I suspect they will all have a conversation with your boss.
Oh, of her tries to make a problem out of it, forward the writeup to the fire marshal. Possibly OSHA. Possibly your lawyer. BOOM.
Yes, unless you receive advance notice the alarms will be going off and to disregard them, you exit the building. Office managers are not equipped or trained to tell a false alarm from a real one. Source: I'm a facilities manager and am trained and experienced enough to know. And if it is a false alarm I'll be the one taking the flak for it, not you. GTFO.
Policies and laws trump your supervisor. That’s why our ancestors fought so hard for worker’s rights. Factories and companies locked and chained exits so when there really was a fire they either burnt alive or jumped out the windows. The evacuation procedure wasn’t followed so the fire marshal and OSHA must be notified of an unsafe work environment.
That's what the Supreme Court is looking to end.
Well that’s the saddest and scariest true statement I have read today. Thanks 🙃
Fire Marshall will literally lockout the doors if the location doesn't follow life safety requirements. Like... its not optional- no matter what your employer says.
Yep, this isn’t a pay the fine situation, it’s a, comply immediately or your business is closed forever kinda situation. Fire marshals don’t mess around
yea because if it was real it's definitely them that have to go save a whole unit over this bullshit... putting their lives in danger since the alarm was ignored....
You tell her no, get up and follow proper evac procedures, they can't do anything about it or else they would be in serious legal trouble
Just leave. Let them try to fire you. During the California fires in like 2007 I worked on cars. We got evacuated, corporate said no one leaves or they’re fired. We were like eh whatever fires not here. One guy left. Not even half an hour later the fire Marshall showed up and shut the shit down and kept it closed for like 2 weeks. Found all kinds of little shit. The fire Marshall don’t fuck around. And they don’t take kindly to asshole employers
That one guy who left probably saved your life.
Nah fire didn’t come down to the shop, luckily. But yea I was actually getting ready to bounce when the marshal showed up
Fire marshal. Source? My dad, who was a fire marshal.
OP should also call u/x4ty2's dad.
If the fire alarm goes you leave. You do not need to listen to the supervisor. You would end up with a hefty payout if they fired you for evacuating when an alarm goes off.
What do you mean, won't "let" you? You're an adult. You're not a slave, not a prisoner, and not an indentured servant. So don't act like one. You don't need permission to evacuate the building when there's a fire alarm. Simply get up and go. Sorry to sound harsh, but your safety comes first. Don't sit there for five minutes waiting to hear that it's a false alarm. Bc what if it's an actual fire? Every second counts, and while everyone's sitting there waiting, it might be too late to leave. What if your exit becomes blocked during that time? I understand being afraid to lose your job, but you're not going to need a job if you die in a fire.
The Labour Board and Fire Marshal, Let your supervisor get into a screaming match with a fire chief over a false alarm.
Not for long. Fire marshals don’t play
That missing labor rights poster… it’s illegal not to display it for employees.
Yep! That’s why I mentioned it on my voicemail 😅
You leave regardless what your supervisor says, UNLESS it was a prescribed fire alarm test and your employer has permission from the fire marshall to have you continue working. I was in high school when the Hamlet Imperial Foods fire happened, and knew people who lost family because of the employer. Your health and safety are more important than the company's bottom line. [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/deadly-1991-hamlet-fire-exposed-high-cost-cheap-180964816/](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/deadly-1991-hamlet-fire-exposed-high-cost-cheap-180964816/)
The owner of Hamlet Imperial Foods fled a previous state because of OSHA violations. Greedy, heartless owners/managers there.
You need to be looking for another job. Your supervisor doesn't care about your safety.
If only it was your supervisor needs to be looking for a new job as they don't prioritize your basic safety as a human being for emergency situations.
If your calls are recorded, try and reach out to IT and see if you can get a copy of that call with the client/customer commenting about the fire alarm, as well as any evidence you jumped back into the queue to answer more calls, as per your bosses orders.
>I’m not allowed to talk to HR during my shift I’m certain I won’t be able to talk to them. That's some seriously screwed up stuff. I'd be finding another job...fast. This place sounds like a tragedy waiting to happen on soooo many levels.
I’m trying to find another job
Worked in a bakery. We smelled smoke. Manager told us everything was fine, to keep working. The air got visibly smauggy, and customers started complaining. My manager finally relented that there was a “small fire, but it [was] under control”. It was not. They then had us evacuate the *customers*. My coworker and I just stayed outside after evacuating them, because fuck that. We went and sat in my car as more smoke came out and the fire station came over—we were conveniently basically across the street from them, so they were able to extinguish quickly. This was during the bakery’s renovation—that they stayed fully open for—in spite of multiple instances of it causing danger to staff. Jackhammering the neighboring wall *while we were supposed to keep working like normal in the store*. Large pieces of dry wall falling into kitchen staffs heads. And an electrical fire that they told us to keep working through. Fuck that place.
Both, plus the fire marshal And you evacuate first, your supervisors denial be damned
Smoke and fire can spread quickly and incapacitate you. When you hear an alarm, get to an exit. Also, people pull fire alarms for other reasons, such as an active shooter, gas leak, or if they need help. The amount of people I see in public or at work that do not react to a fire alarm is shocking.
Call the Fire Marshall and bring the popcorn. OSHA and the Labor board too, but the Fire Marshall is the one that will be entertaining to witness.
Not having the posters about who to call for labor violations and your labor rights is in itself a labor violation
Former fire chief here. Definitely inform your local FD. They can bring fines. Your local fire commissioner as well, as they can bring further fines. And definitely OSHA, as they can too. There likely won’t be fines for a first report, but all three can put the fear of god into them and potentially stop any more of those shitpumps from blocking an evacuation.
Thank you, I will! I couldn’t believe it
The Fire Marshall for your jurisdiction would handle this.
"I'm not consenting to violating the fire marshals directives" Then I walk out
>im not allowed to talk to HR during my shift That’s ANOTHER violation that they are blatantly breaking. You need to report that one too!
Gather some more evidence before reaching out to your local fire marshal. Email said supervisor directly, Bcc-ing your personal email and your HR department. Recap the conversation as accurately and exactly as you can remember, including the time and date of the occurrence. Then ask, in no uncertain words, if they are prohibiting you from evacuating during all potential emergencies, or just fire alarms. Wait a day and whether you receive a response or not, forward your email and concerns to your local jurisdiction’s responsible party. Enjoy the fireworks. If all goes right, you soon won’t have to answer to that shitty boss anymore.
I'm sorry you have such an asshat for a manager. I was in a building that has a bomb threat. Everyone evacuated, but no one thought to look into the internal offices that housed my department to tell us. We didn't find out until a police officer poked his head in to tell us the leave... immediately. UpdateMe
Updateme!
It will likely be a city or county fire marshal email or call them be respectful and simply state that your boss would not let you evacuate when the alarm went off and you want to know if they are the correct person to contact. The fire marshal wields quite a bit of power in a limited sense and can shut the business down immediately.
This happened to me in the 90’s. Pretty much exactly like this. The next time it happened I got up as soon as the alarm went off and my manager asked me why I’m leaving. I told her that the fire alarm was going off. She replied that it was only a fire drill and I told her that I don’t know if that’s true or not but it doesn’t matter because the purpose of a fire drill is to practice evacuating in the case of an actual fire. I also told her that if she has an issue with me participating in fire drills we would talk about it with her and HR when the drill was over. I never heard another word about it.
Speak to your local Fire Chief or State Fire Marshall. Life Safety matter
Fire marshall, osha, the police, HR, and anyone else that will listen. This is illegal. I'd also be recording him and the alarm going off in the background. And you telling him it's time to go as evidence that he won't let anyone leave. Note: I'd be doing this on my way out the door.
If the fire Marshal gets involved that supervisor just got your company flagged. There are no more warnings. Only citations. Also, going forward just leave. You are going to be responsible for the fine if you are cited. This happened to my company due to an employee not leaving for a drill while the Marshall was on site.
Fire Marshall and maybe notify the local TV news channel.
Fire marshal, and local law enforcement, osha and dol.. fuck em
I feel like the proper move is to put your caller on hold and dial 911. This accomplishes two things, you're telling folks who have a certain degree of authority that this is happening, AND its being done a recorded line.
JFC just ***GO!*** Fuck your sup, no job is worth dying for! If it's a false alarm it's a false alarm but the job won't care if you fucking die because your boss told you to stay and get burned alive!
In Ohio and Michigan, Dollar Generals got HUGE fines for chaining the exit back doors shut. Forcing employees to stay at work during a fire alarm is BAD.
You should call the police, this is illegal across the entire United States and is called felony entrapment. You cannot be held against your will for any reason unless you are under arrest, being detained by law enforcement or under a mental hold which would be court ordered or approved by your power of attorney.
If your manager won’t let you talk to hr during your shift I would file a complaint with hr about that as well. During your shift is the only time you should be dealing with work related issues. If you have to come in early or stay late to meet with hr outside your regular hours you should also be getting overtime for that. Sounds to me like your manager is trying to hide something about how he runs the department and there may be more issues that hr should look at.
Call local fire and OSHA complaint
Fire Marshall for sure. Even the FBI won’t mess with them until they clear a scene.
I'd say you called the right people, but follow up, follow up, and follow up. That kind of violation is one that will most likely get your supervisor fired. I've worked in two call centres, one for Apple and one for T-Mobile and both during training made it explicitly clear that if the fire alarm goes off while on the call, you inform the caller of the alarm and that you're dropping them back into the queue. Then you drop them into the queue and get the hell out in a safe and orderly fashion.
Fire marshal. Also OP please let us know when you do it
I'm really shocked that y'all actually listened and *risked your lives* because your supervisor is a real fucking piece of shit human. "I'm so sorry, but the building's fire alarm is going off, you're going to have to call back." Notate quickly. Leave. I don't give a fuck what anyone tells me. If a fire alarm is going off, I'm leaving.
My therapist told me to follow my instincts next time and I said my instinct is to do what I’m told so I don’t get in trouble and he literally said “that’s fucked up” so 🫠 No clue why nobody else left tho
I guess you didn't get to the part of therapy where you discuss why you're that brand of fucked up yet. I've had my *that's a weird face for my therapist to be making* moments, then I realize my "funny" story actually horrifying.
I realized one day after enough funny faces at parties or with friends that all of my totally hilarious life stories were actually just messed up traumatic events with no joke. Oops 🫠🫣
Fire marshal. If it's ever anything to do with fire, fire marshal. At least until OSHA and other protective Federal institutions get dismantled by the Nazis in the next few years.
It's not only over hrs head but not their job to care for you. If anything they'll just tell your supervisor you're reporting it. I work with sprinklers that set off fire alarms for a living and it's nice to see a post like this, youd be absolutely floored to find out how many people just don't even react to a fire alarm now a days. Fire marshall like everyone else said but if they prove to be useless (they can unfortunately) try calling their entire fire prevention department. Edit: typo
I don't ask. I go. Supe wants to talk about it with me that's fine, they can do so at the designated meet spot
This is Triangle Shirtwaist territory.
So, the alarm went off, you did not have confirmation on whether this is a drill or not? And you stayed on the phone? Is that job worth burning for? You should've left. False alarm, or drill, HR would've had your back. Your sup is a douche, report to HR or directly to the administrator.
YOU GET UP AND LEAVE ANYWAY. Do you know why I say this? 9/11. People in the towers were told to shelter in place. That did not end well.
You pull out your phone and start recording while you walk outside. Either you call their bluff or you have an enormous lawsuit.
https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/employees-kentucky-candle-factory-destroyed-deadly-tornado-file/story?id=94868226 Some asshole supervisors don’t learn. Rinse. Repeat. Those people died, I am super happy that you didn’t.
It’s against the law not to have the numbers posted on the board where employees can see it.
OSHA and the Labor Board then the City Fire Marshal and then the State Fire Marshal. Call them all then call your HR office and say you want extra death insurance added for your family and tell them why.
I can’t stop laughing about the therapist part.
So, if there’s a fire alarm that isn’t a planned “testing” or immediately confirmed as false, you and your coworkers need to treat it as real. I can’t help think of how many people died in the Twin Towers on 9/11/01 who assumed the fire alarm was a false alarm.
Fire alarm? I am out the door. Don't care what other people say, out the door. I always think about 9/11 and the ferry incident where people listened and didn't evacuate.
OHSA, Fire marshal
No workplace is worth dying in a fire for.
You can call the non emergency police number and report it and they'll file it with the right people
I’d contact both. My workplace had a small fire on a Saturday right before the end of day shift. So a few workers just got in their cars and left. Some manager in security decided to shut the gate to the parking lot to keep employees from leaving their shifts early. A super smart brain move except it also prevented the fire truck from being able to get to the tens of millions in equipment and product were at risk to put out the fire. Even this company that treated employees like trash fired this manager. And would hope most companies that found out your supervisor’s actions would fire them. That’s just stupid even from a selfish corporation standpoint. There’s no way 10 minutes of your department’s productivity from skipping a fire alarm is worth the risk of lawsuits if a bunch of employees die in fire. No job is worth your life so if a fire alarm is going off then get out of there.
I remember working in Deerfield, FL for an electronic components company back in 1999. I was living in Ft. Lauderdale about 20 minutes away by car but didn't have a car so I was taking a bus to main depot, then a shuttle to the rail followed by another shuttle to work. Anyway there was a Tropical Storm of the West coast that was tracking our way but we were still only under a Watch when I left that morning for work. For those unfamiliar, a Tropical Storm Watch is the possibility of TS conditions in 48 hours whereas a Tropical Storm Warning is expect those conditions in less than 36 hours. The storm has other ideas and by 3pm my company was closing as it had made an unexpected hard turn East and sped up (not the wind speeds, but direction...think NNE at 10 mph to ENE at 25+ mph). So, shuttle to rail, then shuttle to main bus depot... Where all bus service was shutdown upon arrival. Thankfully after about 45 minutes sitting there, they got those of us stuck there ("No someone cannot pick me up. I take the bus because I don't have a car/ride"), they hired (their dime) taxis for myself and the others stuck there. That was the most interesting ride I have ever been on! They packed 4 of us in a taxi and that driver had BALLS! He dropped the 1st guy off and decided the quickest path to the next was A1A. We literally took the Strip along the beach to the next drop-off. It wasn't flooded but was covered with sand.
As other have said, call the fire marshal, OSHA, the Labor Board and HR. This sort of thing is easy fodder for the local news and local politicans to soap box and easy for corporate to crack down on like they care.
Remind your supervisor of 9/11. Alot of people were told to stay where they where instead of evacuating. Some of those people would be alive today had they left the building with the others. In fact, I think there accounts of people who heard the alarms and immediately left despite being told to stay put and were so glad they did so. Next time the alarm goes off - leave. No job is worth your life. Oh and tell the supervisor you and your family will have no problem suing the hell out of that supervisor and company if you are injured or killed following inane directions.
"Not allowed to talk to HR during my shift." What the actual fuck. You should go to HR about that rule!
Fire marshal, 100% the fire marshal.
You know just gonna say I dgaf how much you need that job, when your boss is refusing to let you leave during a fire alarm you go the fuck outside period.
Don't ever take bo for an answer on this sort of thing. Just get up and leave. Report them to a fire martial and message the press
Next time tell to fuck himself!
How did the fire department clear the building with you in it?
I worked in Newark, NJ in the early ‘00s. One day the fire alarms went off and we couldn’t communicate with the lobby. While some people walked down (elevators were recalled to lobby) to see what was going on, the rest of us stood around wondering what to do. That’s when someone wondered if this is what employees in the WTC were thinking on 9/11. Everyone booked to their desks to grabbed their things and were ready to go just as we found out false alarm. I WFH now and while I never heard an alarm aside from a fire drill ever again, my attitude was alarm goes off and I’m out.
You tell him fuck you and you evacuate. He gets in your why then you make him move. Then you call the cops and report that you were being held against your will and sue the fuck out of the company.
Let me tell you young people something. THIS IS YOUR LIFE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT!!! If the fire alarm is going off or a dangerous storm is coming, f*ck what your manager says!! You can get another job but you can't get another life! If they fire you, scream from the heavens to anyone who would listen. Call the press and news stations. Let everyone know that they wanted to put your life in danger. Stop letting these people with the smallest bit of authority put your life in danger. You have complete control over your body. You can get up and walk away whenever you want. Save yourself because your job will post your position the same day you die.
I just can't realize your superiors said "no don't evacuate on this (unplanned/not drill) fire alarm" and everyone was like "ok I die" Do you work at Foxconn or something
Besides the obvious asinine command of your Supervisor, I’m concerned that employees aren’t allowed to speak to HR during their shifts. Get a new job elsewhere.
Time = your life in a fire, especially in modern buildings. We have gotten really good at building with materials that resist ignition but once a fire catches? You likely have only minutes (single digits) to safely evacuate most buildings before the smoke (toxic from all the chemicals, one breath can knock you unconscious) will blind you or the building collapses. Modern furniture and furnishings all contribute to extremely hot fires in buildings that are not built to last. Hollywood routinely depicts fires in ways that are not accurate for the modern world. An old oak farmhouse filled with wood furniture and wool blankets burns *much* differently than most modern houses or office spaces. If you think you can delay? You might end up dead. We do have advances. Sprinkler systems, rooms or stairwells built to allow you to safely shelter in place, all of that. You know who makes the decisions on safety equipment at your work---it's probably the same person ordering that one ply toilet paper or getting 2 pizzas for 40 people. Unless it is mandated by law, they're not going above and beyond. Do not put your life into the hands of the same assholes that ordered Hot n Readys for Jimmy's retirement party.
Unless you're working 911 or some other life-critical service: 1. Tell person on the phone: "sorry, there's a fire alarm, we have to evacuate. Try calling back in a bit." 1. Hang up 1. Get your essentials (keys, wallet, phone), **leave everything else**. 1. Walk out to the designated area. 1. Stay until the all clear. If your supervisor, VP, CEO or anyone else says you can't, they can fick right off. **Your safety is MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY JOB**.
I can't even begin to count how many violations your boss made. What an idiot. I hope she gets her ass reemed.
Next time just leave, it’s not worth your life. Then you could file wrongful termination if anything.
Was it a fire drill? There is no such thing as a false alarm in which you shouldn't evacuate. If it's not a planned alarm, you should evacuate, do not take anyone's word but fire dept, until alarms are disabled. Unless you trust the person.
It was not a drill.
That's wack, I would have definitely just left.
Fire marshal.
This is a situation where you grab the sup by their collar or ear and drag their ass with you out the door while yelling for everyone else to get out. You’ll probably get the newly-opened sup position for your decisive thinking and ability to take charge in a crisis!
Let you? Sorry, when the fire alarm goes off you get up and leave. There is no "won't let you" to it. If they have a problem or try disciplinary action afterwards then you have a wonderful case. If its a real fire then you can be the witness that explains why everyone else perished.
Go for the double tap and report this to both.
Both, and local fire marshall and lawyer
It’s possible your company will take action against your supervisor. With both a drill or an alarm there is generally fire response. It’s common for an evacuation to be timed and the company can fail the timed limit. This can impact insurance premiums. I haven’t been involved in the admin side of building management for quite some time but I do recall being penalized. We then started to cheat and turn off the phones in the call center and inform the employees when the drill was scheduled.
My spouse’s work is similar to what you’re describing - call center environment. When his supervisors are informed of an upcoming fire drill, they have one or two designated team members that stay on the phones. They tell them morning of and also tie a balloon onto the person(s) staying to continue helping customers. Your supervisor needs to look at safety procedures. As others have said, call the local fire marshal.
Are you in the US? I’m pretty sure you can’t be prohibited to speak with HR while on shift.
Isn’t that how a lot of people were killed in the twin towers? I vaguely remember people were told to stay in their offices to avoid a panic rush down the stairwells.
Try calling 911 for the fire department in the moment? ETA Evacuate. Then call 911 from outside
Your company is required by OSHA 29 CFR 1910.38(a) to create a written emergency action plan, and it is required to be available to all employees. If the company has more than 10 employees An emergency action plan must be in writing, kept in the workplace, and available to employees for review. Your employee may have a partial evacuation plan, but they are required to specify that option in their EAP.
If it happens again, vacate. If you’re disciplined, oh the lawsuit you will have.
What do you mean you’re not allowed to talk to HR? Because that’s who you should go to first.
Maybe mention to them to look up *Shirtwaist Triangle* company in NYC
If that ever happens again just walk out, if the manager steps in front of you now is your chance to knock him on his ass.
One place I worked, there was smoke coming out of the HVAC vents. Fire trucks pulling up outside. Supervisor says “There’s a small fire in the roof AC. Fire department should have it under control soon. No need to go outside, we’re all safe”. Guess who was out the door in 30 seconds?
Sounds like a Fire Marshall/OSHA issue. The Labor Board mostly handles issues pertaining to employment discrimination, illegal union busting, and wage theft.
Local fire Marshall should be your first contact and elevate from there.
You probably won’t read this because there are already so many comments, but I’ll add my 2 bits anyway. I understand the mental trauma of abusive over controlling parents, so you need ways of “giving yourself permission”, now I’m not in the USA, so I’m also just going off what I’ve seen on TV & I accept that information may not be accurate- but my understanding is- In an office environment there are individuals that act as emergency coordinators/ fire marshals (? Not sure of the correct terminology here) in fire situations for different areas of the building, that lead the evacuation during a fire alarm, & make sure everyone has evacuated. Find a way to train up to become that person. That will give YOU the highest authority in that situation. You won’t have to ask for permission to evacuate, because it will be your responsibility to make sure everyone in your designated area evacuates. Knowledge is power. Knowing what needs to be done & then doing it, is part of that power. Also, in my country (Australia) aprox 90% of all firefighters are volunteers, I have been a volunteer at a local fire brigade & it’s really rewarding even though I was not what they call operational (actually fighting fires) because I’m disabled. I helped out in other ways, & even if I couldn’t participate in some of the training, I always showed up to the training days because you don’t need to actually be doing something to learn how it’s done! So, if you think volunteering may be something you’d be interested in, I would highly recommend it- it’s also a great way to build up your self esteem.
You just get up and leave.
I’m late to the party as usual and I hope you see this. I’m a fire inspector and set off fire alarms daily in occupied buildings for testing. It is way more common than people are portraying for people to stay and not have a clue what to do when the fire alarms go off. I see it daily. They sit at their desk/work station and look around to see what is happening and have no idea what to do. You are not alone. Forget about anyone saying anything negative to you. As to answer your question, call your local fire department and ask for a captain or the fire marshal. You will be asked what the call is about. Explain you situation as you have here. They will be VERY INTERESTED to learn this is happening. Please please please do this not just for yourself but the other people in your department. This is stupidity and very dangerous on management’s part. I want to add that depending on the type of fire detection or prevention systems installed the fire could have started up to 5 minutes before the alarms go off. Once you add the 5 to 8 minutes you’re told to stay, the fire has been going for 10 to 13 minutes. Thats gonna be one hell of a fire and minutes matter in this situation. The average time for fire fighters to arrive is another 7.5 minutes on average. Do with this info what you will but I’ve seen the aftermath of many fires and wouldn’t want to be around any of it while it’s happening. Good luck.
Legit actual fire? You punch/kick/attack the guy as violently as possible with any weapon you can grab, put them down as hard and permanently as possible and use them to block the fire while you escape. The fire will handle the evidence. Make sure you tell the fire brigade no, there's no humans left inside. Fire drill, yeah, call the local fire marshal.
Don't contact HR. They aren't your friends, their entire job is to protect the company, not you. Let HR be contacted by the place you report them to.
Asurion?
Local fire marahall
Are you part of a union? Labour Board is for organized work environments (in BC).
Call your local news station. Expect to get PIP’ed
Call the fire department
If you don't think you are getting in contact with your city/county fire marshal correctly, go down to the local fire department and ask to speak to a chief or another supervisor. They would probably go in and kick ass themselves until the fire marshal can get out there.
[удалено]
OSHA.gov
Local fire department. Or Local Fire Marshal.
You contact the fire marshal. Then you email HR, your boss, your bosses boss plus BCC your personal account. Ask if there is a reason your manager would force you to stay when the fire alarm is going off in your area. That's it. Keep it simple and watch them freak out. It's better if you have other co-workers send the same email AND call the fire marshal. If you're lucky you'll end up with a new boss.
Kidnapping and endangering lives.
I’m wondering what would have happened had you ignored your supervisor and left the building as required? If you were fired, I’d imagine that would be grounds for a lawsuit.
Local fire department would be my first call.
911, but unfortunately at my center we will not tell you to evacuate we say to either follow your internal Policy or do what’s safe for you…
Fire drills are usually mandated by your city or county fire department and they are right there watching and timing the evacuation. I know because my company got in trouble for evacuating too slowly, so we had many city-mandated drills. We had to do drills over and over until we got it right.
Liability
The fire city fire Marshal
Fire commissioner is not the same as the fire Marshal. Commissioner is just a high up admin for the fire department. Marshall is the one who does inspection/enforcement. May also be called fire prevention office, fire police, or fire investigator.
I live in Pennsylvania and I can’t find what a fire marshal is. Idk I’m overwhelmed and can’t figure everything out on my own
You may have a local fire Marshal, such as https://www.chesco.org/3547/Fire-Marshals-Office Otherwise, the state police provide this service. Contact your local troop: https://www.pa.gov/en/agencies/psp/contact-psp/psp-troop-directory.html
Thank you!!!!
the fire alarms at my office are so loud that no one should be forced to stay inside even if it was a drill. like airplane engine loud.
It was about that, yes. That’s why my caller eventually was like wtf. As far as I know nobody else’s caller said anything, but idk for sure. I’m the only one who had the audacity to get out of my seat, even though it was still to clarify my instructions. I hope other callers said something… or they’re also inhumane af
Fire marshal
Jesus christ this is horrifying