I have a confession to make, I'm afraid of heights. I really am, just not in the traditional way. I'm afraid of heights, because for me they represent danger. Being anywhere high up means that I have to trust that the people I'm with will rescue me, in case of emergency.

Today, I was in a building and the fire alarm went off, I was on the first floor, so there was no cause for panic, or even fear on my part. I spend a lot of time in this building too, so I know there's a plan in place for what to do if there's ever an actual fire, but it got me thinking. It got me thinking about the signs I see in Metro elevators all around the city. "If there's a fire, what am I supposed to do?” It’s scary enough to hear the fire alarm go off in a place where my presence is expected. It's scary enough to hear the fire alarm go off in a place where I know there's a plan. It’s scary, because no matter what, I'm still at someone else's mercy. That's scary enough.

But what about places in which I'm not expected? What about public places? What about when I go to a hotel? What about when I visit a high-rise building in New York City? What about when I go hang out at my friend's apartment? What then? When they turn off the elevators and demand that everybody use the stairs in case of fire, what am I supposed to do? Does anybody ever really think about these things?

I do.

I think about these things because I know when I'm on the 10th floor, or honestly, even the second, there's no way I'm getting down on my own. Some emergency exits are marked with the disabled symbol, but from my experience, if you ask people in public spaces what that means, nobody seems to know. In my dorm, apartment, or office building people know I exist, so more than likely will make sure somebody comes to get me. But what about in the mall? Do you just wait and one of the exits, and hope somebody comes to check?

Safety. The ability to have self-determination in emergency situations is something so many people take for granted. I know that for most people staying on the 10th floor of a hotel is not a frightening
experience, but for me it is. It's not only because I can't get down by myself, it's because for the most part in public spaces a conversation about what to do in these situations is totally lacking.
We don't talk about it, so nobody can formulate plans. We don't talk about it, so nobody knows if there's an emergency transfer wheelchair available in the building. We don't talk about it so we don't come up with solutions.

We tell people not to use the elevators, but we don't think about what happens when the elevator is your only choice. It's scary enough to be stuck on the 10th floor, or even the second when there's a fire, or some other type of emergency, it's even scarier if no one knows to look for you.