My former museum - a Midwestern science museum with 200,000 sq-ft in three buildings and free general admission - tried something like this twice. Once was for a "fire drill" evacuation, scheduled on a typically lower-attendance weekday off-season. Our then-operations manager was adamant that the public NOT be informed, so as to give the most realistic scenario. And, while the actual evacuation went reasonably well (and the outdoor weather was thankfully good) there were some irate people, especially those whose paid-venue experiences like an IMAX film, or meals in our food service area were interrupted. For those who didn't want to come back in to pick up where they left off or start a new comped meal, there were some ill feelings.
The other time was on the day of a statewide tornado awareness "drill". This came in a busier time of year, during higher school visitation. Visitors WERE informed that we would be participating in the statewide test (which mitigated most pushback), and when the time came for crowds to be directed to shelter areas, we had staff on hand to give demos on the science of tornados and severe weather preparation. This put a positive spin on things and we had few complaints, despite more crowding and the interruption to the day.
My takeaway from all this was that, unless you can make it a learning experience for all involved, someone is going to be very ticked off that you made them a Guinea Pig on their time and their dime.
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John Wharton
Museum Docent &
Retired Museum Professional
Bonita Springs FL
http://linkedin.com/in/john-wharton-9629149------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 09-21-2022 12:49 PM
From: Amber Glen
Subject: Fire/Evacuation drills during public opening hours?
We've recently been discussing this as well, especially since we want our front-of-house staff to gain experience in evacuating the public. The solution we've come up with is to pick a day where we know we'll have fewer visitors, be able to inform them of the general timeframe we're conducting the drill, and will be able to comp all or a portion of their admission.
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Amber Glen
Administrative Assistant
State of Alaska Division of Libraries, Archives, & Museums
Juneau, Alaska
amber.glen@alaska.gov
Original Message:
Sent: 09-20-2022 01:26 PM
From: Jim Mooney
Subject: Fire/Evacuation drills during public opening hours?
Hi All,
The question came up during a Safety Meeting, does anyone do evac or fire drills with public in the building? We've trained the staff and docents on evacuation procedures and repeat regularly. I'm hesitant to try a drill with people in the building because I'm afraid of triggering/traumatizing people for no real reason. Just curious what others do or done in the past.
Thanks and take care,
Jim
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Jim Mooney
Museum Security Supervisor
Currier Museum of Art
Manchester NH
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