# I hope we don't blow up... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 27, 2016, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hope-we-dont-blow-up/775702 "2016-12-27T15:50:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2016, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hope-we-dont-blow-up/775702/1 "2016-12-27T15:50:54Z")
I’m in the office today, on Harbor Island (Seattle). We’re right in the port. Next door, where the trucks go to load/offload freight, it looks like there are dozens of emergency vehicles. Firetrucks, ambulances, etc. I have King 5 News playing in another window, but they haven’t said anything about any activity here. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hope-we-dont-blow-up/775702/2 "2016-12-27T15:58:52Z")
I hope it’s nothing at all! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2016, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hope-we-dont-blow-up/775702/3 "2016-12-27T16:00:50Z")
Oh, I should point out that all of those emergency vehicles wouldn’t show up until _after_ an event. 😉 > [@Savannah](#): > > I hope it’s nothing at all! Could be an exercise, but I’ve heard nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2016, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hope-we-dont-blow-up/775702/4 "2016-12-27T16:12:45Z")
Johnny LA stay safe and let us know what all the action was about. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2016, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hope-we-dont-blow-up/775702/5 "2016-12-27T16:36:25Z")
I hope you stay safe and sound; I’ve enjoyed quite a few of your posts. But I must admit that in seeing the thread title my first thought was “May the good Lord take a liking to you and blow you up real soon!” 😉 I can’t help it — I got a SCTV box set for Christmas ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2016, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hope-we-dont-blow-up/775702/6 "2016-12-27T16:41:57Z")
I haven’t heard any sirens (the warning devices, not the singing women who lured sailors to their deaths) since I posted. I don’t have a window, so I haven’t seen what traffic is doing. (The terminal road is obscured by part of the building.) I used the form on KING 5’s website to ask what the commotion was about, since neither their live streaming, nor KIRO 7’s, had anything. ETA: I have the SCTV box set too, **kopek**. I haven’t been able to watch it though, because The Wife isn’t into it. . ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2016, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hope-we-dont-blow-up/775702/7 "2016-12-27T16:45:51Z")
Just got a reply from KING 5: > [@KING 5 News](#): > > There was a large response to a reported explosion. But it sounds (over scanners) like the fire was quickly put out and no one was injured. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hope-we-dont-blow-up/775702/8 "2016-12-27T18:38:10Z")
Glad to hear you are safe! ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hope-we-dont-blow-up/775702/9 "2016-12-27T18:39:59Z")
Full scale, emergency services exercises are expensive to stage. Many municipalities use occasions wherein any threat is quickly handled, as a full scale exercise scenario. Especially when specialist teams have already attended the scene. You can see how it kinda makes sense. There may be some of this going on where you are. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hope-we-dont-blow-up/775702/10 "2016-12-28T17:15:21Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Full scale, emergency services exercises are expensive to stage. Many municipalities use occasions wherein any threat is quickly handled, as a full scale exercise scenario. Especially when specialist teams have already attended the scene. You can see how it kinda makes sense. There may be some of this going on where you are. I have never heard of this. Drills are usually carefully planned in advance to test a particular (set of) scenarios. This includes extra personnel / units so that normal emergency response isn’t impacted, ‘victims’, who need to get there extra early to get made up with their ‘injuries’. Depending upon what & where the incident happens there may be multiple agencies including some that don’t (easily) share communications. We have separate channels for EMS/FD/PD, & even sub-channels for region within the county. With Communications support we can be switched to a common channel to talk with those we usually dont. For a neighboring county with different systems this doesn’t work, so one person would need to have two radios & ‘translate’ from system A to system B. They also make sure to pre/postcede any mass casualty drills with “THIS IS A DRILL”. & make them known in advance. .