The second and last week of the holidays. I had a lot to do this morning.
Had to arrange an appointment for tomorrow with my gardener. Walk Trompie. Pack orders and get them ready to be posted.
Off I went about 10:30 am. Went to the Doggy parlour to make an appointment for Trompie’s groom. The lady was fully booked up until May 22. Lucky for me she made an exception to groom him on Saturday, May 5th.
Then to the post office.
At 11:30 am I entered Pack-and-Save to buy my week’s groceries. I was halfway through when the alarm went off inside the store.
I thought: “What now?”
I left my trolley while the alarm was still screaming. I had experienced a few alarms going off in South Africa.
Then came the command: “Evacuate the store!” Only once.
No rush nothing! Workers were all moving out to the door encouraging the public to do so too. I saw that some elderly people were helped to get outside.
We had to move out onto the parking lot in the front of the shop. After about 5 minutes the fire brigade arrived.
I waited behind some workers.
One of the workers came to me and asked if I was okay and explained that the fire brigade had to first declare the place save before we could move back inside.
It wasn’t a pleasant experience to hear the alarm and to move outside.
It was only a fire drill!
My goodness that must have provoked old memories. Glad it was all ok.
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True, I immediately thought of what do I do? Run out or stay.
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Eind goed als goed. Ek was op ‘n vliegtuig met bomdreigement en ons moes inderdaad land. Geblog daaroor https://abriejoubert.wordpress.com/2017/06/22/noodlanding-bloemfontein/
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Ek het self ook n paar ontruimings episodes in my lewe gehad. Ergste een was in Griekeland met die uitbreek van oorlog tussen Cyprus en Turkye en Grieke. Moes die Akropolis ontruim!
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Aitsa…. wag hulle net toe jy daar was.
Laat weet asb as jy jou kaart kry Dit behoort seker die week te kom?
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Nee ek was ook binne en moes alles los en uitgaan. Sal beslis laat weet. More is n vakansiedag so daar is nog n tydjie om te wag. Sal seker volgende week kom.
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Hulle was lekker flink!
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Dis maar nie ‘n lekker ondervinding nie, al was dit net ‘n oefening!
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Eerste wat in my kop gekom het was: hoekom reageer niemand op die alarm nie! Ek het sommer dadelik my trillie gelos en begin uitloop.
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Dalk was hulle te geskok!
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Hul is ook nie gewoond om maklik bedreigd te voel nie.
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Fire drills. Ons het een gehad tenminste eenkeer elke twee maande en ek het op die 23ste vloer gewerk! Trappe af onder toe. Ek het dit gehaat, maar ongelukkig was dit nodig.
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Ons het ook by die skool geoefen. Een oggend was dit n regte bom waarskuwing dis hoekom dit nie ligtelik geneem moet word nie. (was die tyd toe Sasol II a lekker teiken was)
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Jy het ‘n heel interessante oggend agter jou rug!!! Kan net dink hoeveel opwindidng daardie fire drill voor gesorg het. Neem my nou laaaaank terug toe ek as tikster by die poskantoor gewerk het. Dit was nog voor my troue, en ek was glad nie Engels magtig nie. Ons word toe beveel om die gebou te verlaat want daar is ‘n bomwaarskuwing. Hysbakke mag nie gebruik word nie…. dus vanaf die vyfde…. of is dit nou die sewende verdieping, trappe afklim. Hier stap ons in rye af met harte wat in ons keel klop. ‘n Engelse vrou kom met die trappe opgeloop en vra verbaas was gaan aan. Ek sê toe so ewe vir haar “There is a bum in the building.”
Dankie Scrapy, ek het die e-mail gekry, en vanoggend alles afgelaai. Sien uit om dit deur te lees.
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Whaha, jy het my nou lekker laat lag.
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Dis vir my steeds maar n angswekkende gevoel. Ek was in Secunda met die aanvalle op Sasol II. Gladnie lekker nie. Ons het tot wagte by die skool se hekke gehad op n stadium. Bly jy kon goed aflaai. Dis baie insiggewend.
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Dis nooit lekker nie! Ek onthou ons moes eenkeer uit ‘n fliekteater, want die gebou was aan die brand…ek voel nog daardie angs!
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Daardie angs bly maar daar. Omdat my ma my verwag het gedurede laaste deel van die oorlog dink ek het ek n ekstra sensitiewe angstigheid as dit kom by sirenes en alarms. Secunda het jare terug torings gehad wat geloei het en dan het hul daaroor gewaarsku. Een v torings het langs ons huis gestaan. Gladnie plesierig nie.
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Dis erg hoe sulke herinneringe mens kan beïnvloed.
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Mens besef dit nie totdat die sielundiges diep in jou binneste gegrawe het .
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Isn’t it amazing that people move calmly outside? And that the elderly are helped? I remember hearing my first fire alarm here – it was a little alarming at first.
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Yes, it is as if they go in slow motion. Not worried or nothing. I am more like acting immediately! Must be the teacher in me safety first to the children. Usually, they warn us here that there is going to be a drill. This time they just did it. I heard them saying it took 2 and a half minutes to evacuate.
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Sometimes the fire department wants an unprecedented drill so that they can see how people react.
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True, it seemed that they were happy yesterday.
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