Thanks
@ianpspurs
People, that is shop assistants and customers have one thought in their heads and that is to save their own bacon. It is never any different and never will be. I can remember off hand well over half a dozen alarms in shops and public establishments. I never heard any of them with being profoundly deaf. Visual clues for me was the whole crowd in a sudden blind panic, not caring one jot if someone fell to the floor, they would trample over them, not even caring if it was a child or a baby.
The worst one for me was about the mid 1970's in Liverpool when there were b**b scares. I was in Kwik Save in LIverpool city centre (Hanover St) and my eldest daughter was in her pram which I had got down step by step into Kwik Save. Done my shopping, and was pulling it up step by step up the two short flights of steps back to Hanover St.
Suddenly all the customers, the store was packed, came rushing towards the stairs. I presume the siren alert for b**b alert had sounded, but I didn't know at the time. People were in a panic, pushing each other out of the way, not caring if they fell. I am going backwards up the steps pulling the pram up step by step. The pram with my baby daughter got knocked out of my hands and the crowd trampled over it. A mother is a tiger in the face of danger. I shoved people over, and got my baby out of the pram. I then clung on to the railings of the staircase with my baby to my chest, until the worst of the panicked crowd pushed past. Then I still had to cling on to the railings and got out. I was in stunned shock the whole walk back back home. My purse was lost with the pram which was now trampled and mangled. (A purse doesn't hold your whole life in it as it does now.).
I never used a pram after that day. It was always a baby carrier after that. Even when I had two more babies, there was the older one on my back, and the smaller baby on the front.
People never change, they never will in my experience in panicked crowds of people. And strangely Saturday's experience at the supermarket they panicked, instead of walking in an orderly manner out of the store. There was no visual or smell of any crisis to be seen. The store assistants were the first running out...
When there is a planned fire drill, the shop assistants don't panic, but walk leisurely out.
This was not a planned fire drill. How do I know? I may be profoundly deaf, but I am a darn good lip reader. After about 20 minutes or so after I had got outside, I was still besides the shop entrance, I didn't have the energy to walk any further. There was a woman came out, maybe a boss or secretary (she wore high heeled Louboutins). Then awhile later a man came out (from his clothing, a boss?). The lady's back was to me, but the man faced me almost directly. His body language was such that he was lowering his voice to speak quietly and looked either side before speaking to make sure no one could hear him...it was a fire door he said, and it took so long to find it because it had been shut again....
Obviously in a real crisis, which this was to the store because they didn't know what it was, they are useless right up to management level. I am working on a letter now, and am debating whether to name and shame them online...
I was speaking to my daughter in Australia via Skype (I lipread, use captions, and WhatsApp to make anything clear that I cannot figure out) this morning, the one who was that baby in the pram that day 50 years ago. She said I had to do anything that would cause the store to take attention and do something now about their obviously appalling lack of protocol in emergencies.
I am still upset now thinking about that day 50 years ago, and so was my daughter. I will never get over that.