This makes a lot of sense to me, and might explain what's going on with the puzzling uses of "fire drill" I've witnessed in recent years. I almost want to say that there's been a shift in jargon going on, because I feel like I hear people talk about fighting fires at work less often than I used to say, a decade ago.
To the degree that it's systematic, I'd say it's probably a perjoration as people became uncomfortable talking about fighting in the workplace (or whatever).
