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[Snapshot King]

I just dragged my stupid ass up and down a dozen flights of stairs because a pipe broke in my building, setting the building wide fire alarm. No fire. No shit no fire. Dorms, Malls, Apartment buildings, etc. Anywhere with large groups of people, the fire alarm NEVER means fire. Never. And no one bats an eyelash. You ever been in a mall and the alarm goes off? Does anyone do anything? No. They go, "oh, it's a false alarm, how annoying."

Minor flaws in large buildings, dirtbags who yank the alarm for fun, or my personal favourite, moron who smokes up his entire place by burning his dinner, opening up the hallway door to fan the smoke out, WHOOPS. They're beyond worthless, they've conditioned everyone on the top floor of my building to just say fuck it, we'll burn. Awful.

 

[Shaanyboi]

I live in a 28 floor building. When the alarm is pulled, the elevators don't work. THAT SHIT AIN'T FUN.

 

[Snapshot King]

I live in a 28 floor building. When the alarm is pulled, the elevators don't work. THAT SHIT AIN'T FUN.

Yeah, so what do you do? Do you even bother going down? My buildings alarm has gone off what must be 20 times in the past 3 years, to the point where most times I don't even bother getting dressed, which has led me to stay in my apartment during two ACTUAL fires. There has to be a solution to this. Like evicting anyone who sets one off via their own stupidity.

 

[ZeroGravity]

I feel the exact same about car alarms.

 

[Snapshot King]

I feel the exact same about car alarms.

You know what, you're completely right. Similarly useless. Car alarms should shout your own name so that at least you know it's your car. And if you fuck up and leave it going all night, your neighbours know who to blame.

 

[ProtoCents]

This would always happen in my undergrad dorm. 99% of the time it is burnt popcorn. I stopped leaving my room. Wasn't worth the 30-45 minutes of being away from the precious gaming PC.

 

[Shaanyboi]

Yeah, so what do you do? Do you even bother going down? My buildings alarm has gone off what must be 20 times in the past 3 years, to the point where most times I don't even bother getting dressed, which has led me to stay in my apartment during two ACTUAL fires. There has to be a solution to this. Like evicting anyone who sets one off via their own stupidity.

First few times we went down. More often than not, it was the middle of the night. I'd say it's fairly expected on New Years... Last few times though, we kinda just stayed in bed or whatever. Going down, the hour+ wait to come back up, all the while knowing you still had work the next morning? Nope. Just not doing it. I'll sit through the 10 fucking minutes of obnoxious beeping.

 

[IISANDERII]

I just dragged my stupid ass up and down a dozen flights of stairs because a pipe broke in my building, setting the building wide fire alarm. No fire. No shit no fire. Dorms, Malls, Apartment buildings, etc. Anywhere with large groups of people, the fire alarm NEVER means fire. Never. And no one bats an eyelash. You ever been in a mall and the alarm goes off? Does anyone do anything? No. They go, "oh, it's a false alarm, how annoying."

Minor flaws in large buildings, dirtbags who yank the alarm for fun, or my personal favourite, moron who smokes up his entire place by burning his dinner, opening up the hallway door to fan the smoke out, WHOOPS. They're beyond worthless, they've conditioned everyone on the top floor of my building to just say fuck it, we'll burn. Awful.

What should we do?

 

[MormaPope]

Yeah, so what do you do? Do you even bother going down? My buildings alarm has gone off what must be 20 times in the past 3 years, to the point where most times I don't even bother getting dressed, which has led me to stay in my apartment during two ACTUAL fires. There has to be a solution to this. Like evicting anyone who sets one off via their own stupidity.

This is a pretty shitty recipe.

I imagine you tried to talk to the owner or manager of the apartments? What did he or she say?

 

[supernormal]

You know what, you're completely right. Similarly useless. Car alarms should shout your own name so that at least you know it's your car. And if you fuck up and leave it going all night, your neighbours know who to blame.

I laughed so hard at this.

 

[Shalashaska]

Last time I was in a communal space and had a fire alarm go off.. There was a fire. So I can't really complain about this.

 

[Unit 33]

Not as bad as some stories here, but some idiot deliberately triggered the fire alarm at precisely 3am on 4 occasions during last December.

My room-mates are both habitual smokers and set the flat alarm off frequently during the first few weeks. I make them hide in the bathroom with the extractor fan on now.

 

[Yaphett Kotto]

All it takes is some dust for our alarm to go off and the whole building has to be evac'd. It has come to a point where I don't leave my room and just put on headphones.

The managers won't fix the shit either. All it is is old equipment emitting dust in the boiler room and they just need to completely clean it out or replace it. But nope, they rather band-aid it and wipe down what's on the surface to save us a month or two of bullshit.

Cannot wait to move out.

 

[TheDrizzlerJ11]

You know what, you're completely right. Similarly useless. Car alarms should shout your own name so that at least you know it's your car. And if you fuck up and leave it going all night, your neighbours know who to blame.

Used cars would be hilarious.

 

[esms]

Yeah, I've stopped leaving my room because it's never a fire. That and the alarm noise is ear-penetrating.

 

[rpmurphy]

Funny you posted this thread because my apartment had a couple times over the past few years where this happened which was annoying then, but just a week ago or so, there was an actual apartment fire. The sprinkler system took it out, but part of the unit's balcony melted from the heat of the fire.

 

[demon]

Car alarms should be made illegal and every time one accidentally goes off the owner should be dragged into the streets and stoned and their house burned down. Fucking things are a useless god damn nuisance.

 

[studyguy]

Didn't we have a dude post like... last month about his fucking apartment complex burning down and the only reason he woke up was his dog? I dunno. Better safe than sorry imo

 

[Loofy]

Tinted windows will do much more for deterrence than a car alarm. The tint film also makes it harder to break the window.

 

[TheJLC]

They are stupid until they save your life.

 

[bill0527]

I agree. Our brains have become conditioned to ignoring alarms because so many of them are false.

About 7 or 8 years ago we had a tornado hit our city around 2am. It killed 13 people. The city-wide weather alarms went off but nobody gave a fuck because its the same damn tone as a severe storm, hail storm, or any other civic emergency. Nobody got out of their beds and did anything to get to safety.

At the very least, they need different tones for different types of warnings.

 

[ZackieChan]

They are stupid until they save your life.

It's like with lawyers - they're all awful, until you need one.

It's a small price to pay for potentially saving your life, dude.

 

[Falk]

I agree. Our brains have become conditioned to ignoring alarms because so many of them are false.

Luckily alarms don't operate on the same principle as internet advertising.

OH WHAT'S THIS? OUR SIDEBAR ADS AREN'T PROVING TO BE EFFECTIVE? BETTER MAKE EVEN MORE OBNOXIOUS FULL-SCREEN ADS THAT FOLLOW YOUR CURSOR AROUND.

Just think, one day alarms might have evolved to a point where a SWAT team bursts in with guns firing just to get your attention (but it's actually an alarm, not an actual SWAT team).

Spoiler

and it still goes off at the drop of a hat

 

[andthebeatgoeson]

They are stupid until they save your life.

http://911research.wtc7.net/wtc/analysis/compare/fires.html

One Meridian Plaza was a 38-story high-rise office building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The 492 feet (150 m) tower was designed by Vincent Kling & Associates and completed in 1972. The building was demolished in 1999 as a result of damage of a fire that began on February 23, 1991. The fire began on the 22nd floor after linseed oil soaked rags ignited a blaze that raged out of control for hours. Philadelphia firefighters fought the blaze, but struggled due to a lack of power in the skyscraper and insufficient water pressure from the building's standpipes. Three firefighters died in the twelve alarm fire after becoming disoriented by heavy smoke. Firefighting efforts inside One Meridian Plaza eventually were abandoned due to fears the structure would collapse. The fire was only brought under control once it reached the 30th floor which was one of the few floors that had automatic sprinklers installed. Ten sprinklers held back the fire until it started burning itself out and was finally brought under control almost a full day after it started. The blaze seriously damaged the building destroying eight floors and damaged neighboring buildings.

False. Fire alarms are awesome. Look up, op and be thankful for fire alarms and mandatory sprinklers on every floor.


That's right. They gave up on this fire until it spread to a floor with sprinklers. Look at any decent high rise in the US and be thankful we have evolved. Thank you, government regulation. The free market has to be forced to benefit the consumer. It's not a market forces that cares about you.

 

[styl3s]

You know what, you're completely right. Similarly useless. Car alarms should shout your own name so that at least you know it's your car. And if you fuck up and leave it going all night, your neighbours know who to blame.

It's 2015 if you are gonna do any type of car or home security get it where you can monitor and turn it off via your phone/the internet.

I can be in another country and turn my shit off.

 

[jblank83]

I just dragged my stupid ass up and down a dozen flights of stairs because a pipe broke in my building, setting the building wide fire alarm.

Rough life, man.

They're beyond worthless.

Are they really.

 

[SwiftDeath]

Happened in the apt building I stayed in at college all the damn time

So goddamn annoying. plus the fire alarms were on steroids, had to be the loudest possible version you could legally buy

Damn things went off maybe 4 or 5 times a year and I stayed there 3 years

Never an actual fire, NEVER

They really need 2 step verification for the building wide alarms to go off or something

But yeah certainly have the building wide alarms than not even if they are often super annoying

 

[ElTopo]

At first I was like "The OP is probably going to accidentally burn his house down from pulling down one of those things in his apartment." and then I saw it was Pat and it made sense.

Relevant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anWq6P8g33A

 

[jblank83]

Oh, it's Pat.

Hey, Pat, tell Matt he's awesome.

 

[crimzonflame]

Most of the the time I just ignore them and stay in my condo. The only time I ever evacuated my home was the very first fire alarm when I first moved in.

 

[KarmaCow]

At first I was like "The OP is probably going to accidentally burn his house down from pulling down one of those things in his apartment." and then I saw it was Pat and it made sense.

Relevant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anWq6P8g33A

Yup, pretty much my reaction.

 

[Tizoc]

I live in a 28 floor building. When the alarm is pulled, the elevators don't work. THAT SHIT AIN'T FUN.

Aren't Elevators dangerous to be used when there's a fire?

 

[BCDAWG7]

Didn't have any alarms in the house we were renting and it burned down almost died. So now I don't care how annoying they are I have plenty of them.

 

[StoneFox]

My fire alarm went off in my college dorm probably 20 times in one semester because people utterly fail to comprehend how to cook popcorn properly but there was a time late in the semester where it went off at 4 am and I said "fuck it" and stayed inside because it too cold outside and that was the ONE time it was an actual blaze because someone thought it would be cute to set a hallway billboard on fire.

 

[Javaman]

At work they use patterned alarms for different areas which works pretty well. You only evacuate if it's in your area or if it turns into a confirmed fire. That only works for a spread out building since the smoke can be isolated to the area.

 

[Zee-Row]

I dread cooking in my apartment because every time i have a little smoke my smoke alarm goes off. They placed it about 5 feet from where the stove is.

 

[Raistlin]

I just dragged my stupid ass up and down a dozen flights of stairs because a pipe broke in my building, setting the building wide fire alarm. No fire. No shit no fire. Dorms, Malls, Apartment buildings, etc. Anywhere with large groups of people, the fire alarm NEVER means fire. Never. And no one bats an eyelash. You ever been in a mall and the alarm goes off? Does anyone do anything? No. They go, "oh, it's a false alarm, how annoying."

Minor flaws in large buildings, dirtbags who yank the alarm for fun, or my personal favourite, moron who smokes up his entire place by burning his dinner, opening up the hallway door to fan the smoke out, WHOOPS. They're beyond worthless, they've conditioned everyone on the top floor of my building to just say fuck it, we'll burn. Awful.

This is a bad thread and you should be ashamed of yourself

 

[The Llama]

In my apartment building in college they would go off every. Single. Day. Like, we were pretty sure there was actually some kind of mechanical problem. Everyone in the building just ignored them.

 

[survivor]

This is why I was glad when I lived in the an apartment, it was on the first floor. Things like fire alarms aren't a hassle since I can just walk out nearly instantly.

 

[figadapaura]

When I was at uni and lived in a flat I stopped bothering to leave the building if the alarm went off because it was 90% of the time someone just burning some fucking toast.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

When I was in college fire alarms at the living complex were a weekly event. The local fire department would fine the building owner however for every false alarm. The building owner would then fine the guilty party as they have records of who triggered them.

 

[Shaanyboi]

Aren't Elevators dangerous to be used when there's a fire?

I get why they're off. Doesn't mean it isn't the biggest pain.

 

[Zeyphersan]

Car alarms have never helped anyone. No one assumes it's their car that's going off, so no one cares.

 

[heliosRAzi]

Yeah, so what do you do? Do you even bother going down? My buildings alarm has gone off what must be 20 times in the past 3 years, to the point where most times I don't even bother getting dressed, which has led me to stay in my apartment during two ACTUAL fires. There has to be a solution to this. Like evicting anyone who sets one off via their own stupidity.

I think you're just pissed because it reminds you of Eternal Darkness.

Seriously, though, you should leave the building during a fire. You don't want to die in a fire.

And I guess this is relevant

 

[soco]

I lived in a dorm at RIT for a while, and people would do it all the time because every room is strobed for deaf people, so the buildings light up like a CHristmas tree. It was very annoying.

 

[Your Entertainer]

Brings me back the dorm days.

 

[mmazurkiewicz]

One time in college I tried to fake sleep thru one but the RA wasn't having it. She kept screaming to wake me up and I finally gave in.

Probably dealt with a dozen or so during my two years in the dorms.

 

[Rest]

Well, some crazy guy set a mall on fire near where I live a few years ago, I think it killed some people, so I'd definitely get out of a public building if the alarm went off.

 

[checkeredknight]

Had the same problems at Uni. People cooking toast at 4am. Evacuate building. Stand in the cold for 15 minutes. Go back to bed. Alarm goes off again. Evacuate building. Stand in the cold for 15 minutes. Go back to bed. Lectures at 9am. Great.

3.5 years at Uni. Dozens of fire alarms. No fire.

Me if there ever was to be an actual fire:

https://youtu.be/1EBfxjSFAxQ

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

I agree with the car alarm sentiments. There is one guy on my street with a stupid fucking car alarm that goes off all the time and the prick doesn't seem to realise its his shitty car until about 30 minutes later.