Fire Alarms in Office Buildings

[Bill Bauer]

In case there is a fire alarm, I would need to use the stairs. I see that there are fire alarm units at the top of the doors leading to all of the stairwells(!) This means that in case of a fire alarm, I would have to walk less than a meter from the source of the sound of the fire alarm (I guess I could crouch down, but I would still be shockingly close). Those things are 120 dB - my Peltor muffs will not be a match for that...

Has anyone experienced being a meter away from a fire alarm unit in an office building and being exposed to the sound of a fire alarm (perhaps during a fire drill)? Were you able to walk away without getting a permanent T spike?

Could I use something as a sound shield, to have the sound bounce off of something I carry close to my bad ear, reducing the noise reaching my ear by at least 10 dB? If such an object were to exist, I could store it in my office...

In the event of an alarm, I might want to jump out of the window. Breaking bones is preferable to the alternative...

 

[Michael B]

What concerned me were fire drills as they took place every few months. They were pre-planned and with the deafening sound of the alarms along with my tinnitus, I was able to get advanced notice each time so I could leave the building in advance. Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[Aaron44126]

I think your best bet is to just exit as quickly (and safely) as possible... If you can't avoid the sound, limit the time that you are exposed it to the minimum amount possible. (Use whatever ear protection that you have and cover your ears on the way out...)

If the area is likely to be congested with people, forcing you to move slowly... Find a spot that is most safe from the fire alarm noise and hang out there until the crowd is mostly passed.

In the case of drills, bring up your situation with your supervisor or HR department and maybe you can get advance notice so that you can go ahead and leave the building before the drill begins.

 

[Red]

If the area is likely to be congested with people, forcing you to move slowly... Find a spot that is most safe from the fire alarm noise and hang out there until the crowd is mostly passed.

More like I'll be pushing them out of the way. Do not carw how rude I must be.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I will be able to stay away from the building on days when a fire drill is scheduled. I am worried about someone pulling the fire alarm.

I tried to find the best way out of the building, only to discover fire alarm units being all over the place...

I am carrying Peltor muffs with me wherever I go, but I doubt this will be enough protection...

 

[linearb]

I used to do fire drills routinely in office and condo environments. The "120db" without a distance isn't that useful; having held meters to some of these devices, they might well be 120db at 1", but that means they are 114 at 2", 108db at 4", 102db at 8", etc.

 

[linearb]

To be clear, I plugged my ears when walking by these things if I didn't have earplugs, and I wouldn't be amazed if some devices are more than 120 if you measure it right by them -- in general they're supposed to be calibrated to not do damage to unprotected, healthy ears, but when in doubt, be careful.

More like I'll be pushing them out of the way. Do not carw how rude I must be.

This is often how panic/stampedes start, that can be really dangerous. Jamming both index fingers and fully closing your ear canals is an okay emergency substitute for earplugs in this situation; you're not dealing with firearms-level volumes or something.

 

[Bill Bauer]

To be clear, I plugged my ears when walking by these things

Did you already have T when this had been happening?

 

[linearb]

Did you already have T when this had been happening?

Yes, I've had some degree of tinnitus that I've been aware of and concerned about for my whole adult life, and as I recall I was prone to plugging my ears for sirens/ambulances/etc even before my 2010 trauma.

The building I used to live in before I moved to the woods had a system that seemed louder than any of the offices I've worked in, probably because it was a brick building with solid-core doors so it needed to be loud to be audible in the units; I think I got caught without plugs a couple times and used the finger trick. I don't remember it ever being more than an annoyance (one of the sensors would get tripped by a hot water line, and there was one point where were had 5 alarms in 6 days including a couple between 12-4am. By the end of that week, when it went off I was just waking up, putting in earplugs and going back to sleep).

The alarms I have in my house are about 120 at ~1ish inches; it's rare for me to be closer to them than 2-3 feet, at which point they're in a range that I wouldn't want to stand around in, but doesn't seem to cause me any trouble from short term exposure so I don't worry about it. We have lots of big hot wood fires in our two stoves, so I worry more about the house burning down than I do about the beep. But, I wouldn't mount one right next to my head, the one in the room I usually sleep in is ~10' from where I sleep.

 

[Vincent R]

Has anyone experienced being a meter away from a fire alarm unit in an office building and being exposed to the sound of a fire alarm (perhaps during a fire drill)? Were you able to walk away without getting a permanent T spike?

It happened to me inside a library. The fire alarm went off just above my head. I carried foam earplugs at the time, inserted deep enough to provide about 6 db protection. I believe my T was slightly aggravated afterwards, as a faint new sound appeared.

Those things are 120 dB - my Peltor muffs will not be a match for that...

I think they might be. The protection level depends a lot on frequency. I would expect something like 20 db against a fire alarm. If you're able to carry earplugs at your work, to take the first hit, you might be alright.

Data for Peltor Optime III (My favored model):

63 Hz = 17,6 db
125 Hz = 15,2 db
250 Hz = 21,8 db
500 Hz = 32,5 db
1000 Hz = 39,2 db
2000 Hz = 37,5 db

 

[Sam Bridge]

They test the alarm in my building once a week, always makes me jump as I'm never aware when it's going to happen...

Edit: they test just for about 3-4 seconds

 

[Red]

This is often how panic/stampedes start, that can be really dangerous. Jamming both index fingers and fully closing your ear canals is an okay emergency substitute for earplugs in this situation; you're not dealing with firearms-level volumes or something.

That is not the scenario I am imagining. 30 years of life and what is the percentage of actual emergencies that triggered a fire alarm?

0℅

The scenario I am imagining is a crowd of people, lumbering lazily through a hallway as they chat with one another because they know it is not an emergency.

It is why I do not think @Bill Bauer deserves the flak he gets for disabling his home fire alarms.

 

[MBH]

Im thinking you can make ear blocks with form padding with straps for each hands. You can use earplugs and when the alarm goes off, then put a block on each hand and place each one on each ear for extra coverage. Thanks for the heads up on fire alarm ours are scheduled, but you never know when unscheduled can happen.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I believe my T was slightly aggravated afterwards, as a faint new sound appeared.

When did it happen? Is the new sound still there?

Im thinking you can make ear blocks with form padding with straps for each hands. You can use earplugs and when the alarm goes off, then put a block on each hand and place each one on each ear for extra coverage. Thanks for the heads up on fire alarm ours are scheduled, but you never know when unscheduled can happen.

Thank you! I will experiment with this. I will ask in HomeDepot aabout sound absorbent materials they sell there. Perhaps someone here knows what material one could use for such a purpose. I can see how something like this can shave off 10 dB. Why not prepare for something that seems to be kind of inevitable if I work there long enough. Thank you, @MBH !

 

[Vincent R]

When did it happen? Is the new sound still there?

Two years ago. It has since been aggravated by further incidents.

 

[MBH]

There a post by Christopher 85 where there another suffer post about fire alarm and the damage it did to him. Carry ear plugs. And I was thinking ear blocks made of memory form to contour to ears for that extra coverage. Just a thought