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# Is it true
that there are certain secret phrases sent over the undergrounds tannoy systems in the event of a bombscare/nuclear threat, etc?
(I helped save b3ta! dogbomb, Thu 14 Nov 2002, 19:02, archived)
# i can answer that
there's a recorded message that says "Would Ticket Inspector Sand report to the Control Room".

They played it over & over once at Victoria and then just as I got on a tube they announced it was closing due to a security scare.
(I helped save b3ta! adverse_camber, Thu 14 Nov 2002, 20:04, archived)
# Proof?
How do you know that Inspector Sand isn't the guy that announces a security scare?
(I helped save b3ta! Mond, Fri 15 Nov 2002, 9:48, archived)
# ooh I know this one too..
Working on the trains, I've done underground fire training, and some major terminals use Inspector Sands as a euphemism. It means one of the fire call points has been broken, and can a member of staff go to the area mentioned to investigate, e.g. can Inspector Sands go to Platform 2.
If you want the alarms to go straight off, you have to break 2 fire call points.
(matt_no_monkey, Fri 15 Nov 2002, 11:33, archived)
# Ooh
I know that one. It's an old theatre trick, as shouting 'Fire!' in a theatre is a crime. So they make an announcement for Mr Sands instead, so all the staff can run away leaving the hapless theatre-goers to fend for themselves.

That recording seems to have been playing at West Ham non-stop for the last few days, for some reason.
(I helped save b3ta! numberbruncher - correct by nature, Fri 15 Nov 2002, 18:20, archived)
# I can vouch for that...
...I used to work in a theatre.

It was "Mr.Sand" for a fire and "Mr.Gravel" for a bomb. So you'd hear things like "Mr.Gravel is in the foyer" and so on.

I can also vouch for the fact that, given the £2.60 an hour I was earning, I would be out of there like a shot!!

Cheers,
TLM
(The Love Manatee, Mon 25 Nov 2002, 20:16, archived)
# On a similar note the Disney store in Bristol...
... says 'Peter Pan has just entered the building' when ever smack head crusty scum enter it...

Don't know why I shared that....
(I helped save b3ta! gurningchimp, Fri 15 Nov 2002, 10:46, archived)
# Peter Pan?
I'm glad you did. I like that.
(I helped save b3ta! Mond, Fri 15 Nov 2002, 12:16, archived)
[challenge entry] Mr. Sand
Sand is a common code-phrase for evacuation in many places that have to manage crowds of people. Letting off a fire alarm or shouting "FIRE!" will generally induce panic and stampeding.

In the nightclub I used to work in, it was "Can Mr.Sand report to the front desk" at which point the bouncers would start evacuating the building. Same deal on the LU.
(pagey, Fri 22 Nov 2002, 16:17, archived)
# Mr Sand
For a gig i recently did sound for, the following guests apeared.
Mr Ash - Fire
Mr Tyson - Crowd Disturbance
Mr England - Major Disturbance
Mr Germany - Stand Down
The Imps Rep - Suspect Package

Ohh how original!
(charlielangridge, Fri 22 Nov 2002, 16:46, archived)
# IKEA
be warned if ye hears 'this is an IKEA time check the time is....' run like hell theres a bomb in the building!
(Deiwos - Woo I found my old name!, Fri 22 Nov 2002, 19:47, archived)
# Hindu Cows
If you hear the blue danube waltz played in a hotel lobby look around - all the staff are leaving and so should you be. The building is now on fire.

Check Chuck palahniuk novels for more, mostly true, anti-panic measures from the public service industry.

Oh and if you are ever in a dodgy situation (robbery, attacked whatever) yell fire - more people will come to help and your attacker will be confused. Police officers recomend it.
(I helped save b3ta! NLi10 lurker - 10yrs & counting..., Sat 23 Nov 2002, 0:16, archived)
# Bad Elevator Music
If you are in a hotel lift and you hear some bad elevater music like synthesised piano versions of geri's latest hits, this means that there is a major emergency going on, press the red stop button immediately and insist that everyone in the lift sits on the floor of the lift until help arrives.
(drdik, Tue 26 Nov 2002, 12:01, archived)
# Yell Fire
I once yelled "Fire!"...when I fell into that vat of chocolate.
La dee doo da la dee do da day.
(Tommy Smothers, Thu 28 Nov 2002, 0:47, archived)
# Here's a time check
I worked in John Lewis's Oxford Street store years ago and we were told during our induction meetings that in the event of a timecheck we were to start hunting for unattended packages...strange how many of us tried to look in the staff loos
(alspicer, Mon 25 Nov 2002, 10:10, archived)
# If you're in a Wetherspoons
and hear a staff member (sorry, "Associate") shout "Mr Jet is in the kitchen!", it means the grill's on fire and you should get out before you're trampled!
(I helped save b3ta! The Duke Of Your Fingers feels like an old man... mmm, tasty!, Sat 23 Nov 2002, 2:11, archived)
# South Yorkshire football grounds
The emergency message used to be "The attendence of Mr Meadows is required at stadium control".

This message changed a few seasons ago to "All stewards go to phase 5"
(owl-zat, Sat 23 Nov 2002, 12:26, archived)
# Wetherspoons
inspector gadget = bomb too!
(chrcha, Sat 23 Nov 2002, 13:03, archived)
# Homebase
For some reason homebase used to have a policy when using the tannoy everything was called 'code **'
Code 10 was telephone call
Code 20 was to ask a member of staff to a partiucualr place
As if middle aged couples shopping for fucking paint on a sunday would freak out if they new the manager had a telephone call so they had to disguise it.
code 69 was a shoplifter i kid you not.
ps i was fired for throwing up on new years day whilst unpacking light bulbs
(maximcondor, Sat 23 Nov 2002, 16:17, archived)
# Fantastic thread
Hope this goes in the right place this time ... I can't believe someone doesn't maintain a list somewhere of coded emergency announcements. But I just Googled "Inspector Sands" and I couldn't find one.
(Kikujiro, Sun 24 Nov 2002, 1:26, archived)
# Budgens
An announcement of 'code 2' across the tannoy in Budgens means there's a shoplifter in the store.
(I helped save b3ta! KQ, Sun 24 Nov 2002, 14:36, archived)
# In Currys..
a "customer service code 10" means theres a suspected shoplifter in the store. Should we really be revealing all these things?!

Hilt
(Hiltono, Sun 24 Nov 2002, 16:18, archived)
# Should we really be revealing all these things?
Yes.
(Kikujiro, Mon 25 Nov 2002, 9:38, archived)
# Homebase
It's now "Service 100" for shoplifters (at which point "every able-bodied, male member of staff" legs it because nothing brightens up a dull day shelf-stacking than the opertunity to use "reasonable force" on some shoplifter!)

Oh and the "Time Check" thing applies to John Lewis to. If you hear it get out, there's been a bomb threat!
(BOON ARMY Cadet Professional Lurker, Sun 24 Nov 2002, 18:39, archived)
# Where I work..
I work in a trendy cafe/bar. We have codes for everything! If someone yells "50" behind the bar, all the bartenders have to lean forward, because '50' is the code for "i'm going to throw something to the skip-rat at the other end of the bar." saves time walking there, doesn't it?
(igloo, Mon 25 Nov 2002, 19:31, archived)
# Inspector Sands
Can vouch for this too... I used to work at King's Cross station and the announcement went off at the same time the intermittent fire alarms did - rough translation "Get ready to scarper"!
(Jonnyboy122, Sun 24 Nov 2002, 15:12, archived)
# In Tesco...
Code 10 - Tills are fucked - all gone down together. Security staff to report immediately to frontend.

'Mr. Head to the front door' - All able-bodied members of staff RUN to the front door, someone has just chored something.

Code 99 - Bomb scare. All members of staff to report to conference room IMMEDIATELY with exception of till staff and till managers. NB. The company expects volunteers to actually LOOK for the fucking thing (if necessary) before calling in the cavalry.

(DeepFriedPeas, Sun 24 Nov 2002, 19:40, archived)
# Message for Mr Robinson
Now in the good old days of Tescos when cashiers were positively encouraged to chuck everything down the checkout as fast as possible, you sometimes got a till message 'For Mr Robinson' which meant the card was nicked and you got 50 sheets if you held onto before the pikey realised. Kerching!
(kingboyb, Mon 25 Nov 2002, 10:52, archived)
# Right,
So fill yer trolley with value beans, pull the plug out of the checkout and leg it out the back! Top!
(I helped save b3ta! Oscar Wildebeest, Tue 26 Nov 2002, 17:15, archived)
# Code 500 in Sector X or A whatever
Is how they announce where a shoplifter is in Wilkinsons
(dapthechap probably has this as a status on facebook, Mon 25 Nov 2002, 10:31, archived)
# Security coes
Certain Dixons stores give tannoys like Janitor to software/tills ect because some scrag end looks like they cannot be trusted.
Security to zone 3,4 ect this is to scare above scrag end and Code 10 when the scrag end has pinched something and they want all staff to pile in give him a kicking.
(gizepee, Mon 25 Nov 2002, 10:39, archived)
# Budgens codes
I remember back in the day when I worked there, we abused the system.... the manager never figured out that "code 13 aisle one" was our way of telling the other lads about the fit lass by the mangoes....!!!
(I helped save b3ta! Ril3y is a brit abroad.. bring on the Stella / Asahi, Mon 25 Nov 2002, 10:58, archived)
# Woolies
I once found a gramaphone record containing "this branch of Woolworth's is on fire, repeat, this branch etc etc" that was meant to be played automatically down the telephone to the fire brigade in the event of a fire.
(se8card, Mon 25 Nov 2002, 17:56, archived)
# Fingys
when i worked in a brach of ''Athena'' a cardshop, the security codesfor the bentall centerit was in was
code alpha or something forabomb scare
fire alarms for a fire
and alpha alphafor our store assistance

the claver gits diddnthave anythingfor when someone killed themselves there though!!!

Claireaduck
(ClaireAduck, Wed 27 Nov 2002, 23:07, archived)
# secret?
It's not particularly secret, but they usually say "There has been a security scare". Must have taken some budding Oscar Wilde ages to come up with that piece of word-smithery.
(Geoffers, Fri 15 Nov 2002, 13:19, archived)