You’re probably not lucky enough to have a fire alarm in your home, but you’ve probably seen them in action before. You might have even seen one go off accidentally at school or work, and it is pretty jarring. But what exactly happens when you pull a fire alarm? We’re going to assume that if you’re reading this, there’s a possibility you don’t have an operational fire alarm system in your home. And because of that, we’ll also assume you won’t find one at most other places you frequent on a regular basis. But if the unthinkable happened and you found yourself with nowhere else to go but outside, the last thing you want to do is stumble around trying to figure out where the nearest exit is. If a fire breaks out in your home, there are several things that need to happen as fast as possible. That’s why pulling the fire alarm is so important!
Firefighters Are Sent to The Location of the Alarm
In a perfect world, if something goes wrong, it does so in a way that doesn’t affect others. While the most tragic events often affect others in the surrounding area, firefighters are trained to respond to the event rather than the people involved. That means when you pull a fire alarm, not only are you getting the attention of everyone around you, but all nearby fire stations get a message indicating the location of the alarm. Depending on the urgency, firefighters may be sent immediately, or they may be only be dispatched after the alarm has been sounded for a certain amount of time. A similar thing happens when you call 911 — all nearby law enforcement agencies are notified of the call. This ensures that the right people are sent to the right place at the right time.
All People Inside Are Considered at Risk
Firefighters are trained to look at the situation and assess what might happen next. This means that when they arrive at the location of the fire, they try to determine where it might head next. In an ideal situation, firefighters would be able to put out the fire before it got out of hand, but this isn’t always possible. In the worst case scenario, firefighters might not be able to contain the blaze, and the people inside might not be able to get out of the building safely. In this situation, firefighters will try to get everyone out of the building as quickly as possible, and they may do so through forceful means. Getting people out of a burning building is no easy task, and it can be extremely dangerous for all involved. But it is necessary to ensure that all people are considered at risk.
All Exit Points Are Checked for Safety
If firefighters can’t get everyone out of the building, the next best thing is to make sure everyone knows where the exit points are. Firefighters will kick open doors and leave them open to make it easier for people to find their way out of the building. They may also try to get people to use the fire escapes on the outside of the building if there isn’t a good way to get inside. Once again, this is an extremely dangerous situation for all involved, but it is necessary nonetheless. Ideally, everyone would be able to get out of the building without incident, but no one can account for every single thing that might happen.
Individuals Are Rescued from Their Locations
Depending on the location of the fire and the type of building, firefighters might have to go up, down, and even across to rescue all the people in the building. In the best case scenario, firefighters will be able to rescue all people in the building without anyone getting hurt at all. But when this doesn’t happen, paramedics are there to treat anyone who gets hurt while trying to escape the building. In the case that someone is seriously hurt, they may be transported to the hospital in an ambulance, so a fire truck isn’t the first vehicle on the scene. If everyone in the building makes it out safely, it’s likely the fire department will stay on the scene for some time to put out the blaze and clean up the mess.
When you pull a fire alarm, there is a lot that goes into making sure everyone is safe. You may feel like you’re being disruptive to everyone in the building, but it is important to remember that a false alarm is much better than not being prepared for a real emergency. It’s important to know what happens when you pull a fire alarm because it gives you a better idea of what firefighters have to deal with while they’re trying to save your life!
