fire alarm & death by fire!

[thehippie777]

Smiley apparently had this similar thing not long ago.

But, I am convinced that 90% of guests would die in a firey blaze. 10% of those would hear the fire alarm, and not know what it is.

Why do I assume this?

Well, we had a strange smell on a floor by some vending machines, and also where the main storage is for maintenance. My key wouldn't work fo the maintenance room...of course. They fixed that later. Anyway, a regular guest was concerned. It was as weird smell. Like sea food and pretzels...anywho I called our assistant manager who basically didn't care. I looked for food in the garbages & ourside of the rooms on the floor. Nothing. It was weird, but I reported it.

Midnight...

Major fire alarm goes off. I check where it was trigured on our security read-out, sure enough same location. I silenced the alarm...

Only 6 guests came down from their rooms. We had 50 rooms or so inhouse. Instead of hearing a fire alarm...people...call...down. Ya know, they would roast to death waiting for my out-of-the-building-butt to answer the phone. A couple people actually asked what the high pitched noise was...

I actually had a lady say, "Should we leave our room?" I told her, "If it goes off again, I would reccomend it!"

Now I realize it's night, and people were asleep. But holy crap!

I tell management I am having the fire department come, and they okay it. Immediately I show the first fireman through the door to where the smell was. Sure enough, that area is now full of smoke.

The issue? The Pepsi machine had starting sparking and smoldering the plastic inside the machine. It was promtly unplugged.

The next morning the belly-aching was lovely... Some of our guests were surprised to find out it was actually something viable & not some dumbass smoking or pulling a fire alarm.

My advice, instead of calling the hotel's desk...just go down stairs!!!!! Those in case of fire signs aren't just decoration! OR...die in a fire...I don't care. Free country...

[GingerBiscuit]

I think this may be why the fire alarm at my favourite club not only makes a high pitched noise, but also now and again states 'this is a fire alarm. Please leave the building'.

Hear it once, just after the tbe bombings. someone had left a suspicious package in the club.

[friendofjimmyk]

I called our assistant manager who basically didn't care.

That manager should have a talking to. If you could've gotten into that room, you may have been able to avoid the fire alarm.

[Bramblerose]

Oh Dear. I have slept thru tornado sirens before.

[Cia]

My dad likes to tell the story of a motel over in Wyoming who's fire alarm kept going off. They called us complaining that they'd alarm silence and signal silence then the alarm would go off again so they wanted a service call. My dad asked them 'Is there a fire?', he heard an 'Oh!' then a click. They didn't call back.

[Andara Bledin]

My dad likes to the story of a motel over in Wyoming who's fire alarm kept going off. They called us complaining that they'd alarm silence and signal silence then the alarm would go off again so they wanted a service call. My dad asked them 'Is there a fire?', he heard an 'Oh!' then a click. They didn't call back.

OK, that's incredibly frightening.

Then again, wasn't there someone here who had a woman whose house was burning who wouldn't get off of the phone with them?

I've actually never left a hotel when the fire alarm has gone off. I think I've just been desensitized by the several dozen times that I've been in hotels that have had some short causing the alarm to go off regularly with no hint of fire. Several different hotels, and all were mechanical issues with the alarm system and not some douche smoking in the stairwell.

^-.-^

[Kogarashi]

They seem to have fixed the problem last year, but for the first two years we lived in this apartment complex, the alarm in one of the three buildings would go off for no apparent reason. The closest we've ever had to an actual fire is burning food on a stovetop, where the resident opened the stairwell door and fanned it out there (where the building-wide alarm is located). Most appeared to be shorts of some sort, and there were several residents who wouldn't bother leaving their apartments because they were too jaded by that point, even though the fire department responded promptly every single time. Hubby and I made sure to evacuate every time (partly because the alarm is very loud and very annoying), but I'll admit that we stayed in our car right next to the building instead of going across the parking lot like we should. At least we had our car keys.

Hubby and I suspect frequent food-burning is the reason they also finally installed hoods with fans over each apartment's stove. If you managed to burn something on your stovetop, you basically had four options.

1. Open the hallway door and fan the smoke into the rest of your apartment. You probably won't set off the building alarm, but you'll set off your smoke detector and your neighbor might hear. Plus you'll stink up your apartment, your immediate (above or below) neighbor's apartment, and quite possibly the two apartments that share a wall with you.

2. Open the stairwell door and fan the smoke into the stairwell you share with three other apartments, including your up/downstairs neighbor. This almost certainly will set off the building alarm and get the building's residents massively annoyed at you, if they figure out who you are. Don't do this.

3. Open the kitchen window and try to fan the smoke out there. This is preferred, as you won't set off either alarm, but stands a chance of stinking up your apartment and your neighbor's.

4. Keep both doors and the window closed and sit in the smoke. This will stink up all the apartments in the stairwell, though the alarm won't go off. You will most likely panic at least one of the other stay-at-home-moms, especially when the smoke smell seems to be stronger in her baby's bedroom (where the baby is napping at the moment) than anywhere else in the apartment, despite the fact that said bedroom is about as far away as it can possibly be from your kitchen. Said mom will then most likely call maintenance or the fire department themselves, and you'll still get a visit and a reprimand with a better way to handle burnt stuff in your kitchen.

[KhirasHY]

The only explanation I can think of is that most big hotels tell people not to evacuate until told to...my last hotel had over 1000 rooms, and wisely wouldn't evacuate every time the fire alarm got pulled unless we found it was necessary (it never was).

Of course, as the local crazy-ass cannibal, I see this as a meal opportunity.

/why yes officer, I have been drinking...
//Why do you ask?

[alogram]

And let me guess, the EWs were out in droves the next morning fishing for discounts and/or comps.

Assholes.

[thehippie777]

And let me guess, the EWs were out in droves the next morning fishing for discounts and/or comps.

Assholes.

You are correct.

[PepperElf]

the fire alarm in one of the barracks I lived in for a while was annoying... sounded like a bloody car alarm so it would go on for about 5 minutes before we realized what it was... sometimes even longer. ... only thing suckier was when they couldn't turn the elevators back on cos I lived on th 17th floor O_o

though when it comes to smells and fire... my nose is pretty sensitive. (comes from being on a ship cos fire is bad underway)

[SailorMan]

I once attended a Merchant Marine navigation school, Page's, which was near the New Orleans Airport. I stayed at the Airport Holiday Inn there for about 6 weeks while attending. They had a pretty big indoor pool; they'd rent-out this pool area every weekend for events, mostly little childrens' birthday parties. There were dozens of screaming rugrats, every weekend I was there! And virtually every Saturday, and every Sunday, I could count on at least one false fire alarm, each day.

[XCashier]

Then again, wasn't there someone here who had a woman whose house was burning who wouldn't get off of the phone with them?

Yeah, and that's a classic story. http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...ead.php?t=9577

[mattm04]

The only explanation I can think of is that most big hotels tell people not to evacuate until told to...my last hotel had over 1000 rooms, and wisely wouldn't evacuate every time the fire alarm got pulled unless we found it was necessary (it never was).

Of course, as the local crazy-ass cannibal, I see this as a meal opportunity.

/why yes officer, I have been drinking...
//Why do you ask?

When we stayed at a large casino/hotel/resort they had the same setup. A siren would sound followed by voice instructions on what do do. No need to evac a huge hotel/casino/conference center if some food gets burnt in the kitchen or something like that especially with a fully sprinkler building and you own Fire Dept.

[thehippie777]

When we stayed at a large casino/hotel/resort they had the same setup. A siren would sound followed by voice instructions on what do do. No need to evac a huge hotel/casino/conference center if some food gets burnt in the kitchen or something like that especially with a fully sprinkler building and you own Fire Dept.

Ya know, I think that would be brilliant. I am sure this hotel wouldn't like the cost, though...