Exercising life-saving measures

Today I was asked to edit a department email seeking a volunteer for 'bedrijfshulpverlening,' that's the person who helps evacuate the building during fire drills, offers 'first aid' (well, that's how I edited, the original email dramatically referred to it as 'exercises life-saving measures'), and putting out small fires (original draft: 'fire fighting of small fires').

As I edited the email, it's only natural that I wondered whether I should volunteer. Altruism? Hardly. My main concern was whether my volunteering would make me seem like a loyal and dedicated employee.

Last Friday, I had a fairly heated debate with a colleague, Johan. He said appearances in the office do not matter, only quality work. He says its silly to do things like dress extra nice, stay late in the office in the hope of being spotted at your computer by senior management, think up smart-sounding things to say in meetings, etc. I disagreed. I do all those things, and, as proven by my recent annual appraisal, I'm succsesful within our company. My work is quality too, but I feel certain that my score would not have been as high if I didn't employ these 'tricks,' as Johan calls them.

Enfin, today I weighed the pros and cons of volunteering. Pros: I would appear civic-minded and I would gain a certain status. I could also possibly save a life with my CPR skills. Cons: During a fire drill, I would have to don an ugly orange vest, and I would irritate my colleagues by making them go outside when we all know there is no fire.

Tja, I think I'll take a pass on volunteering. I know myself. I would be rubbish at trying to evacuate a fiery building. I can serve the department better with things like editing emails. Maybe I'll stay late to work on that, and if I do, I'll make sure there's a manager there to see it.