They tell us that in an actual emergency 60% of people will do nothing at all…they don’t freeze, they don’t panic, they simply don’t respond.
Experience continues to tell me that this is a true statistic, though before tonight I had only been in a situation onboard twice when the alarm was actually sounded for anything other than a drill.
It continues to be the most surreal experience that you could have out here. You feel like you’re in a whole different dimension from everyone else.
One moment you’re slopping rice and beef stew onto your plate for supper, and the next…well, there’s that micro-second of complete silence as the first stage alarm sounds where no one in the crew mess moves. That split-second dead space where everyone’s heart stops and everyone takes a beat to process that they’re hearing what they think they’re hearing. And then you move, you don’t think about it, you don’t process it, you just move – plates hit tables, glasses get dropped, silverware hits the floor with a clatter and those of us who don’t have an emergency function just get out of the way…and then suddenly the mess is empty…moments before it was teaming, and then it’s just…empty.
It was eerie.
Since neither Amras or I have an emergency function that requires us to head to stations before the second stage alarm we crossed the empty room, put our plates down, and tried to eat something. But it’s tough to focus on beef stew when your ears are straining for the ‘ding-dong-ding’ of the announcement bell. As always I paraphrase conversations slightly, but something along the lines of
Hun, don’t you live in fire zone 5?
Yes, yes I do…so…my cabin’s off-limits. Good thing all my important stuff is in my purse, and I left that in your room…except my coat, dammit I don’t think my coat is in yours.
The last tenant’s girlfriend left a spare jacket in my closet remember? That will fit you. If it comes to it…
If it comes to it…you try so hard not to think about the ‘if it comes to it’. I almost missed the days when I had an immediate emergency function, when I was doing something right away and that kept my mind of what may or may not happen…not that I really thought anything would but it’s so odd to sit there and do nothing…or just wait for someone to tell you what to do.
It’s so strange the things you think of at times like that. Of all the things I could have focused on, all that kept clambering into my head was Neverland of all things. Of all the stuff I could have picked to worry about, that was what stuck…the fact that if something happened, I wasn’t going to be able to save my embroidery; that I hadn’t thought to rip it from the frame.
No idea why that was suddenly so important, but it was.
The whole thing was over in about an hour, turns out that it wasn’t a fire at all, the smoke was coming from something completely different and once located was taken care of quickly and safely. Our emergency teams know what they’re doing. There was never any real danger.
Still, it’s one of those moments where you become mightily aware just how vulnerable you are on here in the middle of the Pacific.
Glad you two were safe