There is an old people's home across the road. Nothing much ever seems to go on there, a few visitors to the day centre, the occasional relative. When some old dear overdid the toast and set off the smoke alarms, the fire brigade would come rushing out (all of 400 metres, over the tracks from us) and calm everything down.
This weekend, the alarms went haywire. The external alarm went off Saturday day time, 2.30 Sunday morning and around 8 o'clock Sunday evening. This is a "white noise" alarm which is physically painful in close proximity. It prompted me to dial 999 on Sunday morning, but it embarassingly switched itself off, during my chat with the police.
The Sunday evening alarm prompted me and a neighbour to wander over to have a look for an emergency call out number (there was none). Fortunately, clever use of the entry system raises a "control centre", who called the engineer to fix the alarm, and the warden (presumably) but were unwilling to take any other responsibility ("sorry mate, this is just the control centre"). This time, the engineer did turn up and hopefully fixed the alarm. The warden also turned up (he doesn't live on site (and if I was the warden, I wouldn't either, what with the alarm going off all the time), and he was all peace and light and charm and was concerned about the disturbance to the neighbours (the home faces a Victorian terrace, so there are plenty of us).
What worries me is that the alarm didnt trigger a call out from the security engineer, nor the police, nor the fire brigade, nor the warden. It was me calling "control" from the entry phone that triggered that.
And Nobody Inside Came Out!
Potentially 2 dozen disabled old people could have been incinerated and nobody would have been the wiser. If they'd pay me, I could raise the alarm for them, as that's what I did this weekend. And I would get to meet the neighbours more often.
6 comments:
You'll be wearing and big cape and your underpants outside your trousers next. Urgh, what a terrible mental image that conjures.
:p
Hi Hutton,
I see you on dogga's blog and thought I'd stop by and say hello.
That is scary! I would hate to be the one responsible for incinerating the folks had it not worked out.
Way to go!
Hmmmm...Maybe they were all deaf and should have a visible flashing alarm? Maybe they have lost the will to live... Hows Teignemouth today?
Tinny is super, thank you. Today's entertainment is watching the shoppers carry their shopping out of the Co-op, now they have stopped offering free carrier bags.
I was gonna say my hero until I read mallys comment now I'm mentally scared for life. Instead I'll just say my cad :)
Well you know the old saying..when you want something done right....
Bravo for your volunteerism!!
Rather than waiting on someone else to claim responsibility or (worse still)the government to do something about it.
I suppose I can even stomach the thought of you flying through the air in pantyhose to do your duty for seasoned citizens!
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