I’m wondering how many missed the chance to stand up for themselves, saw it coming, saw itself pass, and knew it.

Something similar happened to me in the 2019 Australian bushfires.

All official advice when I left that morning was that we were safe to continue operating. I worked at a food bank so I considered my job essential. That afternoon, The wind changed, the humidity dropped, the official advice was updated, and my managers immediately shut the centre down. The immediate evacuationoffered me to order came in, it was now or never.

People started leaving. I had 3 underage interns with me, who’s parents were on their way to come pick them up.

I kept looking outside thinking to myself “how the fuck am I going to getting home? And then what? My house is at risk too, it’s too late for a real evacuation, I’m probably safer here with some water and wool blankets”.

I had to an evacuation plan. I even had an evacuation plan assuming I was at work when the time to leave hit. Those plans hinged on me leaving as soon as the order can in, or preferably before.

What I never had was a plan to leave if I had someone stuck in my duty of care and couldn’t take them with me. My conscience was not prepared to leave teenagers alone in a warehouse on fire, and in that moment I acknowledged I might die from this choice.

When the final parent came up pick them up, I was lucky, they had an empty seat in their car so I explained my situation and got in.

They offered to drop me at home, but again, what would I do differently at home other than burn in my own house instead of a warehouse. So we just kept driving.

My manager was pissed when she heard I’d stayed back so late, she told me I should have started jogging as soon as everyone else got in their cars. Ah, hindsight. She asked if I was seriously willing to die for my job… Not my job, but the people I have a duty of care for, sure. my first job was a picu candystriper, we were taught how to fill our pockets with babies in case of a fire, you don’t leave the burning hospital alone. That’s hard to unwire to develop an every man for himself attitude.