Having been in a gloriously burning building, I can attest to the following:

1) you have less time than you think
2) do NOT get between me and the nearest safe exit. I can become that "irresistible force" that one often hears about.

One night in a hotel, I was watching a Discovery Channel show about travel hazards. One was about hotel fires. The host stated that on average one has 90 seconds from the time they hear the alarm and smell smoke to get to the street. THAT NIGHT, the alarm went off, and there was smoke in the hallway once I exited the room.

90 seconds is generous.....

And My Wife wonders why I won't stay in a hotel if I can't stay on the first or second floor!

The same show listed the floors 3 - 7 as the safest. Too high for a criminal to use an extension ladder to get to, but low enough for a Fire Dept. ladder truck to reach.

I'm a believer in "every day carry", which to me means it's not a matter of grabbing gear because it's already on me. I'll grab my jacket before leaving, but that's because it's liable to be cold outside and there could be a 10 minute wait for the signal to be cleared.

If you have a briefcase or a pack or something, I imagine during an evacuation you'd be expected to leave it behind anyway, in case it gets in the way.

I take my backpack with me because I'm not regrouping in the parking lot waiting for an "all clear"; I'm going home. It's nice having your primary office at home.

Blast,
I agree/disagree with the "causing a large loss of life"

In the first tower hit, it didn't make any difference. It really came down to - if you were below the impact, you lived, if you weren't, you died - plain and simple (well, give or take about 20-30 people)

Now, the South Tower was another story - IF you started to evacuate when the NORTH tower was hit, it made a difference. There was about 2000 people at/above what eventually became the impact point of the South Tower - 1400 of those people bugged out - despite being told to stay (they were tryng to get the North Tower cleared first) - about 600 people stayed.

You know the story there

You really have to ask the question - NOT given 20/20 hindsight, and realizing that for all intented, the 2 towers were two totally different buildings, would YOU have bugged out of the south tower because the north tower "had a fire". Remember, you have NO details. How quickly would you have bugged out? Would you have used the elevators? (remember, there is NO problem in your building). Would you have stopped to grab your bag/go to the bathroom, etc? (remember, the 2 buildings were for all intents 1/2-1 block from each other)

IF you decieed to use the stairs, let's say you were on floor 98 - would you have made these decisions fast enough to get down below the 78th floor? You had 16.5 minutes from the time the first building was hit! Interestingly, the answer was to ignore the "stay here, this building is safe" and ignore the "don't take the elevators in an emergency" - and get to the elevator bank and down - also remember that you were going to have to change elevators on the 78th floor - go from the local, to the express. As it was, about 200 people died in the elevators trying to get out of a building, many in the first few seconds - people who were getting out (the blast came all the way down the elevator shaftes at impact - there is footage - the doors in the lobby beltched flame at impact)

I grab my gear every time, even if I don't know why. Not from fear but from experience of the amount of time someone has before a situation escalates.

"Interestingly, the answer was to ignore the "stay here, this building is safe" and ignore the "don't take the elevators in an emergency" - and get to the elevator bank and down..."

Actually, I don't find that surprising at all, ESP not being part of the equation.

When the North Tower was hit (first), it was the SECOND attack on the WTC. Many people were still working there who had been there on 2-26-93, when six people died and 1,000 were injured.

In fact, I would suspect that that initial attack was the primary reason that so many people did evacuate the WTC on 9-11.

As for using the elevators, it was the fastest way out of a then-non-damaged building. There was no way that they could have predicted another attack that would involve the elevators.

I gave the people who headed for the exits (by any method) full marks for smarts, if not luck.

8:45 The first plane hit the North Tower.
9:03 The second plane hit the South Tower.
10:05 The South Tower collapsed.
10:28 The North Tower collapsed.

Even after the planes hit the buildings, who could foresee that the South Tower would collapse before the first-hit North Tower? Who would know that the towers would collapse at all? I read that the engineering designs for the towers said that the towers could take the impact of a jet plane. What they hadn't considered was the fact that the planes would be loaded with jet fuel. (Only in engineering do planes fly without fuel.)

IMO, you need to do a quick assessment, decide on a plan, and then get moving. It's just not the time for waffling and asking others for advice.

Sue

"102 Minutes" is motivation enough to always heed the drill and take your stuff.

And to get in shape to handle dozens of flights of stairs if you work in a high-rise.

One good thing about DC, building height is severely restricted.

12-stories is about the max.

Maybe I take preparedness to far. When I go into almost every building I locate the closest exit. Now in a restaurant or most stores this is almost a non-issue, you can see the exit.

When I go into high rises, when I exit the elevator on the floor I am on I usually take a moment to look at the floor plan and then do a visual on the exit door to the stairs.


I go so far as when my 6YO son and I go to movies I point out the exit up front by the screen we will use if we have to leave quickly.

On a crossword puzzle,all me paranoid or call me prepared. Both have eight letters.