Just type I got a call from my father in the morning today, and he is here in town for some work business. Because they want to LARP like something out of a movie. The light up shoes remind me of the fact that it regularly comes up in online forums for parents of kids with diabetes that you cant turn off some of the blood sugar monitor and insulin pump audible alarms, due to FDA regulations. No one is bringing in a wind machine and throwing debris around classrooms during a tornado drill. If the host does not know about your dating life, you can easily go with this one. But as long as we expect children to go through this, we adults need to also, dont we? (You say you dont have traditional HR, but in a large organization theres probably someone youd go to if you needed to request medical or religious accommodations, report harassment or discrimination, or turn in paperwork for FMLA. That he has somehow tricked you into thinking this is okay is horrifying. There are many reasons why you might just not want to work on the weekend, such as: In this instance, you can propose a better alternative. For staff, we simply review our active shooter policy at our annual inservice which mostly amounts to lock-down and hide and pray. Im a survivor of gun violence and Ive lost a loved one in a mass shooting. Took a grand total of an hour and I was crying furiously by the end. Best practice is to allow people to opt out, for any reason. You Have a Home Delivery or Are Moving 12. 3. I have a PhD in firearm violence and injury prevention, and while I wont say that there isnt training that could be beneficial, I will say there isnt any solid of benefit. But what on earth could take 7 hours for active shooter training alone that would actually be useful? How is including that supposed to change the behavior or perception of the students during an actual event in any way? Good luck! 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? then you can divert questions with details also to the oh no, im afraid its a private matter, they asked me to not divulge all the details, hey mom, would you like to have an emergency where you slip and fall and twist your ankle next tuesday. Most workplace active shooters are targeted. Its not necessarily as private or discrete as you may prefer, and youll still see whats going on in the simulation. Its stupid and sexist, but it works. Agreed. You Have a Doctor's Appointment 3. Small brush and matte eye shadow that even slightly matches your under eye circles, like taupe. Both my former Commander and XO attended both drill AND law school. Find out more about Divi Cake here. The social aspects of man-caused tragedy (shooters/bombings) aside (which I agree with others that acceptance this is the new reality is wrong, will require better funding for mental health/social support/etc that I can vote for), it has been demonstrated time and again that reading about what to do is NOT the same level of preparedness as drills. Laughing about that is wrong on so many levels, regardless of whether youre in hearing distance of someone or not. When he said the whole team was going and I needed to go to, I told him, I hoped they had a great time, but I would be at my desk that day and not participating. Anyone can offer this training, and who knows the background of the trainer, if theyve informed and/or worked with law enforcement to plan and schedule the exercise, or if they have any background in the psychological impacts of active shooter situations, simulated or not (doubtful). They're basically faster, safer, and more supportive- you can check them out here. Want to write a professional email at work? The best way to make the most of your time in the Drill Army Reserves is to get involved with your unit and fellow soldiers. It was investigated, law enforcement believed it was just a rumor, and there would be extra police presence at school the next day. In two weeks, my workplace is hosting an all-day active shooter training, conducted by law enforcement. I dont see whats gained by including all the waiting/hiding time. My former workplace put us through a fairly intensive and realistic training, with one of the trainers shooting off a fake gun. This is a great excuse becauseit instills a sense of panic within the person youre cancelling on. Its one of the reasons (not the only one, but one nonetheless) I dont teach anymore. Talk to your units First Sergeant or Commander if you believe you have a valid reason for being excused from an upcoming drill. You just dont know what people can and cannot tolerate with this kind of thing, and its best to let them decide for themselves if its appropriate. If you feel you need to address it with your boss directly, you could do that while being vague. I work for a a government agency. There is no excuse for him to be joking about this, calling you names or otherwise mistreating you. In a real event, it takes a long time for law enforcement to secure each room. Updated: Monday, March 20, 2017. The whole realistic reenactment thing makes people in charge feel like theyre doing more than they are. I was impressed with the tone of the announcements over the PA that communicated to the teachers that they should close their classroom doors, not take their classes out to recess, and so on (I dont remember the language they used) and the teachers just carrying on teaching as if nothing were happening. Ill clear my head first, get in a better place and come to the next one. Want more Junkee in your life? What interests me is this is a mass shooting drill, not an active shooter drill. For one we were on lockdown. Regardless of that, though, opting out should be a reasonable accommodation for anyone with cause to believe the training will have mental health ramifications for them. I choked up reading that and I have no kids and am not in the US. There is zero reason to be doing this training. Hell yeah, why not. excuses to get out of drill weekend. Call in sick and dont ever apologize for it. Since BA schedules are published well in advance, Soldiers have plenty of warning and should plan accordingly. This means that if youre a devout member of a particular religious faith that has weekend devotion, you have the right to do so without fear of losing your job. I was home sick that day and watching messages pour in over our communication app on my phone; cant even imagine being there, but Ive heard similar things from coworkers. 1. He looked at me with a big grin on his face and said " I got sick,too! This means there needs to be a fair balance between times where you work, rest, and do what makes you happy. This! Nope , its not. I bet too many people at work would opt if they could (even just for if Im going to be at work I have actual work to do) and make it not useful training. Same here. 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. If my staff had this conversation to me, Id take it immediately back to leadership b/c my leadership is older than me. Finally we learned they had just been required to offer an active shooter training by their insurance. With 58th BfSB, it looks like i only have one drill in conflict with this semester. how do you handle soldiers and college? Do I normally condone lying? Our organization lost one person in the large event because they couldnt believe it was happening and went to go see. Excuse 2 | You Punctured Your Tire. When you miss nine drill weekends in 12 months without contacting your commander or the Navy Operational Support Center to which you report, your commanding officer can declare your . theres nothing we can really do about it, We can, but we wont, because US Americans generally refuse to take responsibility. The statement Repeated [high-quality] training hones reflex actions is true. Fortunately weather intervened and caused the part of the activity with the anxiety trigger to get canceled, but I absolutely would have called in sick otherwise. as a manager, should I not wear a childless shirt in my off-hours? A good chain of command knows who these employers are as well as are able to come up with ways to work with the Soldier to deconflict. They ended up with injuries when one of the factory guys had a turn at being shooter and took out some aggression on management. Absolutely unnecessary. The only way to conquer your fear is to face it. Im a boomer and if I can understand I dont know what your bosss problem is. Those chatty folks? We managed to cover fire, health emergencies, active shooters, bomb threats, weather evacuations, you name it, all in the span of a couple hours. Asking the host for a favor right before they are holding a party is going to result in your favor. Interestingly, this attitude has prevailed even at the two urban campuses Ive worked at where gunfire outside is a not-entirely-uncommon occurrence. Agree late 40s without kids, and I can totally picture this being really hard. Part of our run-hide-fight training is a very well-done, professionally-shot video set on our hospital campus. Echoing others concern about this training being from a valid source. It wasnt really an active shooter simulation, but for some reason, the approach at the time was Its really important to stay silent, so try to imagine that its real as you cower in this corner. (Spoiler alert 20ish seven- and eight-year-olds are REALLY bad at playing silent sardines, even when the imaginary stakes are high.). Also want to say: I hear that there are differences between younger folks experience and us middle aged people who grew up prior to mass school shootings being so frequent. Ill explain later. This. And the ironic part: stress can lead to a higher frequency of migraines, even in people taking a preventative medication, so it would actually be quite possible I might actually wake up with one if I were in OPs situation. This workrelated excuse is only going to work if its not a work gathering. About two months later I quit that job, but because I really liked most of my coworkers, I sometimes went there and bought a sub or a burger on my way home from college. Ill come out again soon when Im in a better place. I had been there. In cases like your school its more important that the adults know what to do than showing kids what to do/where to go. SiteGround boasts a whole list of fantastic features at amazingly affordable prices. And if you are not looking up for one, have a detailed conversation with him. My ability to consent to this work activity was removed, and I repeated to Jerkface that I did not consent, and he said that was fine but I had to do it anyway. I was there for maybe 20 minutes in total before my shift supervisor missed me and came along to investigate. 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. But some gossip can cause harm to your team and the organization. We had emergency drill training (which did include a segment on active shooters), and from the get go there were multiple training options presented. Depressing, yet so effective. If youre a party person, in your teens or early twenties, a party at Davids is news that will stir a lot of excitement. Instead of a drill, why not just some quick tips on what to do and not do? He/She has a fever. Fast forward to this current moment in your life, (whereveryou may be) and youve found that youve hit a certain point where things have taken a massive swing. She was very kind about it, didnt even make me use my leave for it, and sent me info to our EAP. This will make the time go by faster and itll be more bearable. - From a Soldier perspective. Law enforcement starts working together on active shooter drillsmy organization does not add training. Youll get a free pass. I resent our new hires for setting better work-life boundaries than our company normally has, hairy legs at work, my office sent me a random TV, and more, heres an example of a great cover letter with before and after versions, my employee cant handle even mildly negative feedback, my new coworker is putting fake mistakes in my work so she can tell our boss Im bad at my job, insensitive Diversity Day, how to fire someone who refuses to talk to us, and more, weekend open thread February 25-26, 2023, assistant became abusive when she wasnt invited to a meeting, my coworkers dont check on people who are out sick, and more. Another employee came in and joked that with the door wide open, she could have killed them all if she was a shooter and didnt they learn anything about locking doors from our recent drill? I think Alisons advice is really good. Im just old enough to have gotten out of high school with very minimal active shooter type worries. Again, lockdown, except for the three classrooms that were directly underneath this workplace grudge-match turned fatal, we scurried like hell into the hallway to the next wings classrooms. They used to kind of joke about the fire alarm being pulled and then a school shooting happened where a fire alarm was pulled and kids were shot leaving their classrooms/building. I dont want to teach my kids to be afraid, but also dont want to misjudge a safety situation. Ive seen it enough years that I opted to just skip past the video in this years training module. College is a priority. Best case, that employee will now have even more inside information about strategies, hiding places, and escape routes. Im so sorry youre dealing with this, OP, and that your boss made a joke about directing a shooter to you. Speedy Search & Discovery. Also for people who have been IN mass shootings or have experienced gun violence, these trainings can be very psychologically damaging. Full stop. My father came close to being blown up in the Marks and Sparks Paris bombing. Can you handle yourself under the pressure? My boss, who is also the only person to whom I report (no grand-boss applicable), is much older, which I mention because I think hes just coming at this training from a totally different perspective. As someone whos been in pretty much that exact situation, your 2-for-1 euthanasia comment made me CACKLE. Also want to say: I hear that there are differences between younger folks experience and us middle aged people who grew up prior to mass school shootings being so frequent. As a USAR CDR I'd approve an excused absence and call it a day but really depends on what you ask for an if you have a good chain of command. i would also call in sick to this. 1sg I disagree with college as a priority, it is an enhancement, your co/xo have been in the world long enough and know how to balance drill and school, that comes with maturity, what we are dealing with are the new generation, no concept of time management, putting things off until the last minute, I managed to get my diploma, attend drills and raise a family, it takes sacrifice, but that's me. There wont be chaotic running through the halls. It is not worth the cost to your mental health to try to justify your position any more to your insensitive boss or even, frankly, other people. We all live busy lives and we know that there will be times when we are called on to help out to babysit for a week, a weekend, or even half a day. If you are in the National Guard, you may be wondering if you can skip a drill weekend. Again her choice is individual and different, but I am glad her workplace is partnering with them so that others who many never have had such drills (me included, 7 workplaces over 30+ years and I have at most had video training) have that opportunity. Career success can be easy only if you know how. No, you cannot call out sick for drill. In this article, we listed the best excuses you can use to not work weekends. My office recently did the same thing. Id either lean into something genuine and chronic (back pain? I don't know how it was in the reserves, but in the Nasty Guard you had to make up the time and have a damn good exscuse. Im so sorry to hear about the stomach bug you got the day of this drill. My 1st grader and her classmates knew all the hiding spots in their school and when they built a model school classroom as a project, insisted they put several into their creation. Were going to have people sit in a conference room and a deputy will speak. Its just telling the kids that if a lockdown gets announced, then we lock this door, hide here, be quiet, the door handle will get tried by the headteacher, and this is the announcement that its over. What Not to Say: "I miss my spouse." What to Say: "That sounds like so much fun, but unfortunately, I have a date night scheduled. As a result of that experience and the PTSD that it caused, my elder kid takes a sick day any time there is an event or training or other triggering occurrence at work. Here's a list of foolproof excuses that are sure to get you out of any weekend plan. It still felt stupid, though. You do volunteer work 8. Generally if you submit early enough in advance and have a compelling reason, it will be approved. We watched a couple videos at my office, and had some PowerPoints. None of it was tailored to our facility. Is that the one that takes place in a bar? 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. Which brings me to active-shooter training. 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. You should absolutely be able to opt out of the training. Question about Army Reserve - skipping out on drill And if it is, there is a huge possibility that the other people wont show up either. Im actually a SME in this area and you are so unbelievably incorrect. When I was at college I had a job at a fast food kiosk in a railway station. Its naturaland can happen to anyone. Everytown has some great resources and statistics you could show your school about these trainings. Perhaps we could reschedule. You can ask to be excused from drilling at that point. Ah, I bet you live in the same city as me. Seemed irrelevant at the time, became surprisingly useful 15yrs later when covid showed up. Some say that it is helpful to have even a few seconds of warning, and that the sound should be loud and trigger serious caution. Three cups of black coffee and a gas station burrito will do the trick, too. My cousins little kids all speak so matter-of-factly about the drills. Be patient. ****WARNING FOR SENTENCES BELOW*****. Lets be honest; we all havethese episodes(ifyou dont, most of us do). I think midterms and finals are possible reasons for an early dismissal the last day of drill if nothing important is going on. My civilian job is very accommodating to me for any of my needs. Same. I know many of them are probably fine, but many are also horror themed. They also talked about throwing things like your chair or a pencil (?) Its probably the post practical workplace safety training Ive had since the generic mass produced run-hide-fight videos are worthless in a real situation. All The Hidden Clues In Squid Game That Pointed To That Twist Ending If someone has a heart attack in my vicinity, I can call emergency services or run a few hundred yards to get the defibrillator, but someone else will have to start CPR. Balance this wisely. If not, why is this particular emergency getting such outsized priority? A drill period is usually one 4 hour period. Is college a good excuse for not attending drill? | RallyPoint https://www.everytown.org/solutions/active-shooter-drills/. Because all you need to do is say these four words. Some of that context may help OP decide how they want to push back. 1 When Something Comes Up & You Still Want To See Them Shutterstock "Hey, I'm so sorry, but something came up tonight and I. This kind of boss only considers puking in a trashcan as sick. Youre talking about the kind of training that professionals receive. None of this is a joke, and Im so mad at this LWs boss because the drills are meant to protect people and theyre done out of fear but we cant have TOO MUCH FEAR, mind you, because thats negative somehow. She has nothing to gain, and something to lose, by trying to play it by the book. Michelle Rennex, Culture We didnt find out until later in the day that it was staged. But I was wondering how can reasonable accomodations include opting out of mandatory safety related training? The UK is having a heck of a lot of problems, and every so often we wonder if wed need to head back Stateside, but active shooter drills keep it crossed off the list. And honestly, shes been doing them her whole life in school. If you have a family or work obligations that conflict with your drill weekend, there are a few ways that you can get out of it. Im mildly/moderately allergic to a common food that nobody else is allergic to. Maybe you can convince them to reconsider? 1) Wont happen herewe are nowhere near the big city where these things happen. Thanks guys! And what happens, sir, when the commander isn't interested in working with the Soldier to deconflict? Im sure your guests wouldnt want me coming and spreading the germs anyway! Their elementary school had a lockdown one morning when parents were there for an event, due to a situation in the community half a mile away. Im usually okay with this kind of dark humor; but not in this case of a very real and traumatizing event. But I watched the required active shooter training video so I guess thats all I need <- sarcasm/ Oof. I have mild to moderate claustrophobia, and theres absolutely no way Id ever participate in an escape room. I told her that going forward, I would like the opportunity to work remotely on the days of drills or just use my leave entirely and she seemed open to it. And then you can tell your boss in advance that ou have an appointment you just cannot move that day is the ONLY day available. How do you say no to working on a weekend?. Seven hour long training/drill? This book full of deep insights about the nature of human beings, paired with plenty of laugh-out-loud and highly relatable moments. They were clearly making an effort on all sides not to alarm the kids, and my own kids were totally oblivious that anything was amiss. You know what would be more effective than repeated active shooter drills that traumatize people and trigger trauma responses in survivors? Thank you for sharing this; Im sorry that this has to be a continued topic and continued trauma. I work in a school and I think our staff training maxed out at like an hour, and half of that was about identifying and preventing threats. It demystifies mindfulness and shows you the many simple ways to be mindful while carrying on with your life. 4 You have religious obligations . Never the Right Word is a participant in the Awin Affiliates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to participating merchants. Hope you dont get cornered! Never give a straightforward "yes" when someone tries to make plans. Mass shootings have been happeing for years im sure he remembers sandy hook, Virginia Tech, etc. If this article appears on any other site other than https://www.nevertherightword.com without clear referencing it is a violation of the copyright owned by https://www.nevertherightword.com. It was brief, watch the video and discuss. All-day training puts it in a very different category. This article was originally published on https://www.nevertherightword.com. (This shooting range has since gone on to have neo-Nazi ties and host fundraising events with certain family members of certain politicians. As a teacher I participated in lockdown drills and in ALICE training, which is the run-hide-fight style that I guess is more popular now, rather than the hide-and-lock-the-door style we used to do. I was thinking this, too. Make up a story of how your roommate needs your special attention since they are suffering from a fever. 38 Perfect Excuses For Getting Out Of Those Plans You Made Last Week 3 Sick Day Email Templates to Get the Day Off - Career Sidekick Assuming theres no policy requiring a doctors note for more than 1 consecutive sickday. And as others have pointed out, experts question whether they drills really help anyone anyway. And it sure as hell wont take 7 hours. The storeroom was in the basement, where the ceiling was low enough for me to reach without standing on tiptoe. Or what about the people who have to eat food/take pills at certain times of the day because of health conditions? The closest thing we have is the second-most senior employee, who has an easier time taking up issues with him because of their long-standing relationship. except that some law enforcement dont recommend doing this because in the event of an active shooter, its a high probability going to be an employee or former employee. That's fine. (Or maybe youcan!). Working from home have a lot of benefits that essentially make your work life happier and more enjoyable. Heck no. I got upset, started crying, and had to ask to leave. If youre lucky or skilled enough to have made it to the finals, theres no reason why you should have to miss out because of work. and if i got any pushback id say it was a mental health day. I think? Seven hours?! /lolsob/. Maybe hes friendly, but that doesnt equate to nice or kind. On a serious note this post and the sheer volume of responses speaking to this issue as being so common scares me so much. Unless responding to active shooter scenarios is a commonly expected part of your job duties, theres no way this training is a reasonable requirement. No one is filling the hallways with smoke and heating door knobs during a fire drill. For example, Jewish people have the Shabbat, the Jewish Day of Rest, which occurs each week from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. So,they understand that all you need to do is stay in bed (and watch a movie you just bought). Its a good idea to discuss this with your employer so that they can arrange alternative working arrangements for you. Even seasoned writers need a helping hand at times, thats why we trust Grammarly Premium. Rush inside? Wed sooner head for somewhere in Europe or Australia (where we have no ties) first. They need the weekend so that they can complete their volunteering obligations. want their party blessed by the presence of these little party wreckers. However, your commander then has it in his authority to deny you attendance of drills. I cant tell you the number of times roads and tube stops were closed off and wed mutter not another bloody bomb threat and turn around. It doesnt matter whether youre needed to babysit your grandchildren, godchildren, or your best friends fur babies, lending a hand when its needed is a fundamental part of living in a caring society and being a good friend. As a general rule, you cannot be excused from drill. But there are ways to make it better. Even if you cant shoot as often as youd like, its important to keep your marksmanship skills sharp. Telling David a massive no straight to his face will come across as rude and will likely hurt his feelings in the process.
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