Has anyone had the fire alarm go off while you were in a hotel?
This has happened to us 3 times. One, in Edison, NJ at a Marriott. It was Sunday morning in January and the fire alarm went off at about 6:00 am. It seems the was a fire in the kitchen. It was one of the suggested hotels by the show so a number of exhibitors were there. We had to evacuate into the cold January morning while the fire trucks arrived.
Another was in Troy, NY at a Fairfield Inn. At 7:30 pm on Saturday the alarm went off. The Staff is going room to room pounding on the doors for everybody to get out.
We left and watched all the fire trucks show up. We sat in our cars and kept warm.
The property is a non smoking place and it seems one guy in a room was puffing so much it set off the general alarm.
Then there was a time in Sturbridge, MA during July and a thunderstorm was raging. Cloud to ground lightning. We heard a loud crack of thunder and the alarms went off. We were told to evacuate the building. We had a patio room so we just stayed in the room unless things got nasty. Again fire trucks, etc. But it was just an electrical problem when the hotel was hit by the lightning.
These were all "host" hotels. And naturally we would talk to the other exhibitors at the show. What did we all grab when we evacuated?
Our money!
Replies
Great tips, David. And I really like the idea of having the money near the door too!
Like many areas of the country Michigan has been hard hit by this winter's weather. While I was taking shelter in a motel in Chelsea, MI, in January because the roads were too dangerous to drive on and the temps were too low to melt anything, the fire alarms went off with great regularity. The pipes were freezing and busting and setting them off. NONE of us went outdoors. It was -20, plus wind chill. We stood in the hall in the middle of the night and visited and kept an eye out. The fire trucks did come, the only vehicles on the roads. Don't know where it was more dangerous, inside or out.
BRRR, not a situation I would like to be in. Since you mentioned the dangerous roads, another tip to remember is while you are driving (especially on bad roads and in unfamiliar territory) keep track of the route # you are on and occasionally make a mental note of the milepost number as you drive. If, God forbid, you have an incident where you need help and must call 911 you can give them the route # and milepost you just passed. It will get services to you much quicker. Thanks for listening and stay safe in your travels.
It's just part of the job we do.
I've been doing this for so long, near the end of one season I got back to the hotel room and absent mindedly muttered "It's good to be home".
But I am stymied as to WHY hotels will place handicapped rooms (wheelchair accessible) on upper floors! Is the hotel staff during a fire, going to come up the stairs and carry the handicapped people down two flights?
What rocket scientist designed those hotels?
Sorry to hear that you had to endure these situations . As a retired Health, Safety, and Environment Coordinator it brings back some tips everyone should be aware of. The nature of our business requires many nights in hotels or other lodging locations. It's always good practice before turning in to know your main and alternate escape routes. If you have medication, you should have them in a location where they can quickly be recovered as you leave in an emergency. In most cases everything will turn out OK but then again there is no guarantee when you will be able to get back to your belongings. This could be major if you are on an extended road trip. These are just a couple of tips and I don't want to go on and on. Just be aware of your surroundings and take a few minutes to be prepared. Hope you have better luck in future show trips Chris. Remind me not to stay where you're staying :-)