Korean Fire Drill

Ok, so, this is not a car game you play after a few too many at the frat party.  (I’m looking at you, Chinese Fire Drill...or Chinese Freeze Tag...whatever you call it.)

Anyway.

We had a fire drill today at school.  Mrs. Next Door came to tell me first thing this morning...she said she didn’t want me to be alarmed when it happened.  Ok, that’s weird...I have been in fire drills before...but I play along and thank her and say it would have scared me.  Then another co-teacher told me it was happening, but more so I knew why he was leaving the class alone with me (because he had to get ready to be a firefighter...so I am getting a little more curious...do teachers put out the fire themselves?  Because, in that case, I would be next to useless.)  Then yet another co-teacher comes to tell me that my next class would be cancelled because that is when the fire drill will take place, it will take up most of the class time, and I would need to leave the building and go out to the field with everyone else.  I said ok, and I would just follow the class down the hall out the building.

Now, fire drill time.  The bells are ringing and sirens are blaring...and there is freaking smoke in the hallway!  So, I head out the door, while putting on my coat, and stop to turn of the lights and close the door like I always do.  I hear “No, no, Teacher.  Teacher come.  Run, Teacher it is fire!”  Ok, it’s one of my students...he’s a bit of a class clown, but a good kid...so I smile and follow the students out of the building.

Ok, seriously, there is smoke in the hallway.  Apparently, they set off smoke bombs to simulate a real-ish fire situation so in case of a real fire the students don’t panic.

So, now we are out on the soccer field...in the cold...waiting.  I just follow the crowd, because, really, I have no idea where to go.  I look back at the school and see that they have brought out a fire hose and are actually spraying water on to the driveway.  Two more teachers are running (literally, running) carrying boxes of things (I still don’t know what they were carrying, I am assuming some sort of first aid supplies).  Then an ambulance drives up to the side of the field closest the school and 4 teachers load a stretcher into it and it drives off (I guess that its simulating an injury).  As soon as the ambulance drives off a fire truck pulls up and shoots water up over the school (I guess making sure the water will reach the highest point on the school).

They told me I could go back to my classroom but the students had to gather to listen to the Fire Marshall tell them what was good and bad about the drill.  And, honestly, it would not have done any good for me to stay and listen...even though I am working on it...I am only up to about 10 words of Korean.

If everything had not been so new and surprising I would have had the presence of mind to take pictures.  As it is, I was too stunned to think about it.