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#283623 - 02/01/17 06:04 AM Hotel Fire
chaosmagnet Online   content
Sheriff
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 12/03/09
Posts: 3819
Loc: USA
I travel for work, and tonight was the fourth hotel fire alarm I've been through. This one appears to be a malfunction of a new alarm system. One other was a guest pulling a fire alarm for no good reason, and the other two were small kitchen fires.

In every hotel I make a conscious effort to know where the two nearest fire exits are to my room. I also leave a flashlight on in ultralow mode on the dresser where I set the contents of my pockets. Tonight, I executed my exit plan with one flaw. I was out of bed, putting on pants, shoes, pistol, magazine carrier, and cover garment immediately. I had my phone, wallet and keys and scooped up my winter coat on the way out the door. The alarm was already turned off by this point.

This hotel has a large central atrium, and I could see dozens of guests standing on their balconies looking around. After a quick look around and not seeing evidence of fire, I marched to the stairs, went to the ground level, out the building and to my car, where I grabbed a bottle of water out of the trunk before heading back inside.

My one significant failure was that my room key was not with my other things and I walked right past it on the way out the door. It was no problem getting a new keycard made; but if I'd been unable to exit the building and needed to retreat to my room that would have been a problem. I also neglected to check the door with the back of my hand before opening it, but with the fire alarm having been turned off this was a procedural fail that I don't feel as badly about.

Now to figure out how to get back to sleep.

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#283624 - 02/01/17 09:00 AM Re: Hotel Fire [Re: chaosmagnet]
Tjin Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 04/08/02
Posts: 1821
Originally Posted By: chaosmagnet

My one significant failure was that my room key was not with my other things and I walked right past it on the way out the door.


Did that so many times... Also always remembered it a second after I closed the door.
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#283625 - 02/01/17 11:53 AM Re: Hotel Fire [Re: chaosmagnet]
UncleGoo Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 12/06/06
Posts: 390
Loc: CT
Originally Posted By: chaosmagnet
I also leave a flashlight on in ultralow mode on the dresser where I set the contents of my pockets.


Good idea.

My room "key" stays in the wallet.
_________________________
Improvise,
Utilize,
Realize.

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#283626 - 02/01/17 12:10 PM Re: Hotel Fire [Re: UncleGoo]
Tjin Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 04/08/02
Posts: 1821
Originally Posted By: UncleGoo
Originally Posted By: chaosmagnet
I also leave a flashlight on in ultralow mode on the dresser where I set the contents of my pockets.


Good idea.

My room "key" stays in the wallet.


Most of the time you need to stick the card in to the thing near the door, so you can have light in the room.
_________________________


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#283627 - 02/01/17 01:06 PM Re: Hotel Fire [Re: chaosmagnet]
Russ Offline
Geezer

Registered: 06/02/06
Posts: 5357
Loc: SOCAL
I usually get two keycards when I check in, one stays in the wallet, the other is my "user".

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#283629 - 02/01/17 01:23 PM Re: Hotel Fire [Re: chaosmagnet]
wildman800 Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 11/09/06
Posts: 2846
Loc: La-USA
I don't "switch" my clothing until the morning when I get dressed. My clothes are beside my bed, with everything in the pockets, on the belt, etc until I've dressed the next morning and transfer everything to the fresh clothes that I just put on.

If an alarm goes off during the night, I get dressed, pick up my pistol, my Iphone, and head out the door.
_________________________
QMC, USCG (Ret)
The best luck is what you make yourself!

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#283635 - 02/02/17 12:11 AM Re: Hotel Fire [Re: chaosmagnet]
Doug_Ritter Offline

Pooh-Bah

Registered: 01/28/01
Posts: 2197
I am with Wildman, in that I generally leave everything in my pants until the next morning, lay out my fresh underclothes at the ready and casual socks and shoes at the ready. If I am wearing suits, my jeans are the ones prepped for emergency egress. No big deal to dump my suit stuff in the pockets.

I always get 2 key cards. One goes in the wallet, one goes in the pocket. If the hotel is one where the card has to be in the slot for the HVAC, etc. to work, I get a 3rd card and leave it there.

Beyond that, my computer case is ready to go at all times, all I need to do is pull the computer and charger off the desk and slip it in there. That case has most everything I "need" vs. nice to have stuff.

In colder weather, jacket/coat, etc. on a chair or over my case on the way out with gloves and windproof/waterproof knit cap in pockets. Standing outside in the cold is not something this desert rat ever wants to deal with.
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#283637 - 02/02/17 03:11 AM Re: Hotel Fire [Re: chaosmagnet]
gonewiththewind Offline
Veteran

Registered: 10/14/08
Posts: 1517
I drive my wife nuts, but I pack most everything as I were checking out in the morning, unless I have a suit that needs to be ready, then that stays hanging in the closet. I can't go to sleep until I do it. Not just a suit of clothes, but all of my clothes in the suitcase. I am crazy, I know.

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#283640 - 02/02/17 11:47 AM Re: Hotel Fire [Re: Tjin]
UncleGoo Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 12/06/06
Posts: 390
Loc: CT
Originally Posted By: Tjin


Most of the time you need to stick the card in to the thing near the door, so you can have light in the room.


Haven't been to one of those places, yet. Might be fodder for America's Funniest, watching me try to figure it out...

Ditto to leaving the day's clothes loaded, and bags ready.
_________________________
Improvise,
Utilize,
Realize.

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#283644 - 02/02/17 08:13 PM Re: Hotel Fire [Re: chaosmagnet]
Mark_R Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 05/29/10
Posts: 863
Loc: Southern California
I keep all my pocket detritus is a clear zipper pouch on the nightstand, and have tomorrows clothes laid out on whatever bag I'm carrying. Grab the pouch, and depending on my level of concern, either get dressed or shove everything into the daybag, and out I go.

I've yet to find a low intensity light I like. Maybe I should look for power failure night lights
_________________________
Hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane

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