The Morning My Team Member Shut Down a National Safety Conference

You’d think a national safety conference — attended by seasoned professionals from across the country — would be the last place you’d see an actual emergency evacuation.

You’d be wrong.

Setting the Scene

This one took place at the Officers’ Mess at ADFA (Australian Defence Force Academy) on a frosty Canberra weekend. I was a state manager at the time, in town with one of my team members for the conference. We’d flown in Friday night, grabbed our room keys, and headed into the city for “a bit” of socialising… which quickly turned into a lot of socialising.

A late-night Macca’s run, a stagger back to base, and a few hours of sleep later, we were ready (ish) for day one of the conference. Fortunately, the venue was only a short walk from our rooms — less chance of us needing a taxi or a mobility scooter to get there.

One Small Problem

The only complication? My team member wasn’t exactly welcome in the Officers’ Mess. I’d been given clear instructions: keep him under the radar. Low profile. Blend into the background.

That lasted less than eight hours.

The Alarm

The safety briefing kicked off early Saturday morning… except seconds in, the building’s evacuation alarm blared.

You could see the confusion ripple across the room — a gathering of safety professionals, all wondering if this was a drill or if someone was having a laugh.

Eventually, we did the only sensible thing: evacuate.

Outside in the freezing Canberra air, a bright yellow firetruck — complete with stunning Indigenous artwork — rolled up. As we stood shivering, the 2IC turned to me and asked the obvious question:

“Where’s your team member?”

Good question. I’d assumed he was lost, disoriented, maybe grabbing a coffee. Nope.

The Call

I rang his mobile. He answered with three words:

“It was me.”

Turns out, he’d decided to take a nice hot shower before joining us - even if it was at the starting time of the conference. But here’s the thing — anyone who’s spent more than five minutes in the ADF knows this rule: never shower with the bathroom door open.

Why? Because the ventilation in Defence buildings is about as adequate as an evaporative cooler in the tropics. Steam plus smoke detectors equals a very loud morning for everyone.

By the time I called, he was standing in his room wearing only a towel, flanked by two firefighters in breathing apparatus, manually shutting down the alarm.

While my team member stood in his room with a towel, I gathered evidence for future use... Yes, this is THE fire truck!

The Aftermath

I explained the situation to the bosses. They were… amused? Annoyed? A bit of both. Either way, I found myself “volunteered” to deliver the safety briefings at future conferences.

The Lesson

Aside from the obvious don’t shower with the door open, there’s a broader point here:

• Even experienced people forget basic rules when they’re tired, distracted, or impaired.

• A small oversight can cause a big disruption.

• In safety, complacency is the fastest path to an incident — whether you’re on a mine site or in a military barracks.

The best part? This bloke and I are good mates now. We still laugh about the day he shut down a national safety conference… one shower at a time.