Final answer:
The author details fire drills to demonstrate cause and effect, showing how preparation impacts outcomes, paralleling how a superstore's opening caused smaller stores to close.
Step-by-step explanation:
The reason the author gives a detail about fire drills is to illustrate the concept of cause and effect. This is a common method in writing to help readers understand the connections and consequences of actions or events. By mentioning fire drills, the author might be suggesting that such preparation can dramatically impact outcomes in emergency situations, similarly to how the various stores went out of business due to the opening of the superstore, which is a clear cause leading to a direct effect. This type of writing often responds to the question 'Why?', as in why do fire drills matter, and in a broader sense, why did the introduction of a superstore lead to the closure of smaller stores.