Ok, not really. But just in case there ever is a fire, the lovely Bucyrus Fire Department kindly graced the office with their presence this afternoon. A fire truck and ambulance pulled up and two from the department came in to talk with the building owner (a.k.a Dad).  

It was just a “courtesy call” to walk the tenants through some precautions to prevent fires and understand what to do in case of fire. It’s a really good thing they came by, as I fear I would just keep on working right on through a fire alarm just like I always have.  Apparently what I learned by doing all these years – from alarms in college and on the job at my previous employer – is not really in one’s best interest in case of a fire. Working through the alarm because “it must be a test” is not a best practice endorsed by fire departments. 

The walk-through was quite thorough. I was really hoping for demonstration of “stop, drop and roll” - unfortunately, that was not part of today’s visit. The guys were very nice, even though they did not entertain my request for a fire pole that would assist me in getting down from the second floor in a hurry in case the place was up in flames. Oh well, as the Stones say: You can’t always get what you want, but you get what you need. I did need a refresher on what to do in case the alarm sounds – immediately stop what you are doing, and go outside, far far away from the building. Personally, I may just take that opportunity to run through the fields across from the office, Fraulein Maria style.  

I wonder if my startup was in San Francisco, would I get the same personalized attention in life saving techniques? Probably not. It’s a good thing I moved back to Kansas