Emergency Preparedness in the Foreign Service

A few weeks back, an electrical fire in our building caused smoke to flood the hallways and led to our rushed evacuation. I was only minutes away from finishing a batch of beer I was brewing, but abandoned that project as Misha tried to see where the sirens were coming from. A message from our community WhatsApp group informed us that there was a fire in our building. We leashed Mochi and bolted for the stairs. There was a brief moment of panic when we opened the door to see a smoky hallway. Thankfully, we both received training on how to escape a fire, and that kicked in immediately. We exited the building while firefighters climbed up the stairs to address the situation.

I don’t want to sensationalize what happened; the fire was put out even before the fire department arrived on scene, and we were back in our room an hour later. However, the incident served as a stark reminder that safety and security standards vary from country to country, and in this lifestyle you constantly need to be aware of your surroundings. Living in a technologically advanced city like Tel Aviv, it would be easy to become complacent and forget that. Very few posts are ever going to face an incident like Benghazi. Much more likely are situations like this, but the State Department makes sure their employees are trained how to react in either case. This fire served as an appropriate wakeup call to always remain vigilant.

One of the most common questions posed by our friends when revealing our first post as Israel was, “Is it safe?” I don’t believe this will be the last time we hear this question in the posts to come, either. Whether there are concerns over air quality, earthquakes, local governments, terrorists, or rockets from Gaza, risks are everywhere. Which is why it is ironic, yet humbling, that our first preparedness test came from a relatively minor fire several floors below. With smoke cascading up the building’s 20+ floors, we heard no fire alarms and saw no emergency lights flashing. The “voice of god” system that is connected to all rooms gave no warnings. If it weren’t for our community WhatsApp group, we wouldn’t have reacted as fast as we did.

In addition to the training provided by the State Department, one book made a significant impact on Misha and I: The Unthinkable by Amanda Ripley. It’s a book that really everyone should read. You never know what precarious situation you may find yourself in, and just reading this book makes us think a little harder about safety during an emergency and how many people react in ways they would not have predicted. Just a warning, though: this book will mess with your sleep, so it’s best to read it during the day.

Have you ever been in an emergency situation? How did you react, and did that reaction surprise you in any way? Just like anything else, practice and training make a huge difference in emergency response. The lessons learned from just one book could be enough to save your life. If you have relatable experiences, we’d love to hear them!