Scared of any RED fire alarms (comment myself) by: Jessica
Wow, I didn't think when I posted this story that I'll have others with the same issue. :) I don't feel alone anymore! I am currently a resident advisor, and my room has (unfortunately) a fire alarm. It's not red, though, but it still freaks me out. Living with one in my room has helped my anxiety (just a little, though). Unfortunately, today the maintenance had to test the alarms. I didn't know about it. I was eating in my room minding my own business, and BAM!!! I screamed and ran out into the hallway and stood by my door. I was warned by the maintenance that the alarms were going to go off again, so I stayed outside the hallway for 15-20 minutes. The alarms outside the hallways are the big, red ones that talk. They're kind of creepy. I jumped everytime they went off, even though I knew they were going to be set off. Hell, I don't think I'll ever be over this phobia. I've told more people about it, and they totally understand why. It's mainly the noise, yes. However, I think there's more to it.
Same here! by: Perry
My dad is a fireman so you would think that I would be cool with, even interested in, the related stuff. I am not! When I was like 3, I saw an Arthur episode that talked about fire drills and that flipped me out. Then, that night, I had a weird dream that involved a loud sound, and when I woke up, the sound was still going and it was actually our smoke alarm. A weird coincidence is that a couple months later, when I was readying for school, I saw that episode and got a little worried. We had a fire drill at school that day and it was over for me! I don't know why but whenever I went to school, I had this sixth sense that there was to be a fire drill- and I was always right (I'm not sure what was worse, the sound or the sheer terror of anticipation). My school had Simplex TrueAlert alarms, and if you look up what they sound like it's awful. Ok moving on, the problem with the alarms was mostly at school as the ones at home were well behaved (they only went off once when our candle caught a small fire). I was excelling in school so I dropped out to do a homeschool curriculum and thought I was saved. We moved to Florida and our house there was new, but our smoke alarms were wired oddly and they would set off a lot, usually at night. One time a unit malfunctioned and they would go off every 20 minutes and I was in the backyard hiding behind a bush with my ears covered. I refuse to even look at our smoke alarms and if I'm cooking I won't use the broiler or try not to fry things and if I think it's getting a little hazy I will take the battery out of the kitchen alarm temporarily. I guess I could get over it but I get so freaked out.
PS: At college the other day, I got an email that we were going to have a drill, and I freaked out at first but it was a few weeks so I let myself forget. When I got to school that day I felt that sixth sense I haven't seen in awhile (boy that wasn't nice) and remembered the announcement. FORTUNATELY for me, the school just announced over the PA and called all our cell phones and said we had to go outside for 5 minutes.
Burglar Alarm Systems by: Ace Alarms
I think this probably stems from the colour red on a very holistic basis. Red is a commanding colour, it tell us to stop at traffic lights for example and to be warned of a possible danger or perhaps a danger about to happen.
I do meet clients who have found this also! just change the colour of the burglar alarms box! or spray it, but the important thing to remember is those break in (burglars) are probably self conciously afraid of the colour too...
Me Too! by: Anonymous
I found this website because the red alarm in the hallway of my apartment complex just went off twice in the past 10 minutes, and I'm still shaking. There is no fire, though. I had two smoke alarms in my apartment until just a few months ago...I ripped one out of the wall because it kept going off, despite replacing the batteries. I have another in my bedroom that is hardwired, and occasionally it goes off due to insects or dust. Every few months, I shut off the power in the box in the hallway and use canned air to clean the smoke alarm. About 30 years ago, I and my roommates were trapped in our 7th floor college dorm suite for about half an hour due to a fire that started in the trash chute in the hallway. All eight of us (and one roomie's boyfriend) gathered in one room and stuffed wet towels at the bottom of the closed door, but smoke got in anyway through the top of the door. We opened the window to get air, and people watching down below thought we were going to jump. We were rescued by firemen who led us down the dark, smoky stairwell. I was blowing black mucus out of my nose for a few days afterwards. This was during finals, BTW. I ended up getting C's in a couple of classes because I couldn't concentrate on studying after that (and, I also had to relocate to another dorm room on another floor due to fire damage). Since then, I have had a fear of fire alarms. Occasionally, I have set off the alarm in my apartment while cooking, and I rarely use the stove because of that. I can't sleep in the dark because I'm afraid of the smoke alarm going off in the dark. I know my situation is really extreme, and I probably should get help, but I'm glad that at least I can write about it and some people will understand.
With me and my sister. by: Anonymous
my sister was terrified of fire drills. I was terrified of smoke detectors. I hated the way they were and i hated the noise they made. I especially hated those red ones too.
Fire Alarm phobia by: Anonymous
There are quite a few people with this phobia.
In Derbyshire, in the UK- the councils who built many schools during the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s had a deal with Carters of Burnley- who manufactured rotary air sirens (a smaller indoor version of the air raid ones- called the MiniMite) which were the standard spec on any Fire Alarm system installed during that time.
I worked as an engineer servicing them (for a contract company) and when these things were tested- believe me they were well over specified in sound levels for what they were doing. Many children used to cry, and were frightened.
They emitted a continual piercing shriek, at around 100dB in level.
Fire alarms freak me out by: Rhinholtz
Unlike most of the comments I read on here, I developed a phobia of fire alarms when I was an adult. It started when I was working night shift at a hotel. Recently we had some additions built on and we were getting a new front desk in the new building. The control box for the fire alarm had been moved to the new building but we were still in the old. One night around 2 in the morning the fire alarms started blaring everywhere for no reason. But the problem was they locked up the new building at night. I couldn't get in to turn it off! People were running out everywhere asking me what was happening and I couldn't tell them anything. Now every night I'm terrified it will go off on me, and that was years ago. My phobia is getting so bad I'm thinking about quitting just to get away from it.
Fear of fire alarms, you're NOT alone. by: Anonymous
My little brother started primary school last September (2010) and his school has already had about four fire drills. Although its the law that schools, workplaces and supermarkets perform fire drills in order for everyone to act promptly as though a real fire had occurred, the anticipation of the alarms going off is daunting. Especially if the alarms are placed in nearly EVERY room.
Unfortunatley thats the case at my little brother's school. Every classroom, the reception foyer, dining hall/PE hall/Assembly hall, staff toilets and the boys & girls toilets have a red fire alarm bell in them that emit a loud ring when they sound. To make matters worse my brother was in the boys toilets when the bell suddenly rung, startling the life out of him. He HATES loud sudden noise, but due to the inconvienient placing of the alarms, he'll have to face the fear.
Likewise my primary school had fire alarm bells, but luckily they were only situated in the corridors (not so good if you were taking something from one room to the other and they sounded)! Luckily for me I was in the classroom when they sounded or outside in the playground or any other room that didn't have an alarm. But my God they were LOUD! However my very first year of Primary I was asked to take a slip to the office, situated at the opposite end of the school which of course involved walking past loads of fire alarm bells in the long corridors. Unknowingly i was completely unaware there was to be a fire drill & you can guess what happened. I had a panic attack and luckily a member of staff was walking past that exact moment and had to calm me down before waling me out onto the playground. My teacher could see I had a nasty panic attack and was in hysterics. Thats probably the reason they made sure i remained in the classroom when a fire alarm was to take place :)
The fire alarms at my secondary school were different. Luckily they weren't shrill sounding bells but instead a siren which came through the speakers (the same speakers where the pips came from which was the school bell). Nevertheless, the sudden noise of the siren made me jump on some occasions, but luckily it wasnt quite so bad as its a siren.
I think its better if there's some background noise so that the person suffering from that fear does not anticipate the noise.
Wow, others like me do exist! by: Anastasia
I'm surprised and relieved to know that I'm not the only person who suffers from a fear of fire alarms! I actually have a fear of both fire alarms and smoke detectors. I believe it originally stemmed from the sudden, piercing noise of the smoke detector. When I was young, I would walk down the hallway with my security blanket over my head so that I couldn't see it on the ceiling if I looked up. Then during school, I learned the joy of the louder than hell fire alarm system. Great...A new, louder terror!
I've never sought any help to try to "cure" my phobia, and it never seems to subside. I'm thirty now, and still deal with the extreme fear to the extent that you do (don't want to be alone in a room with one, feel anxious walking past one, etc.).
I know that the fear of fire is pyrophobia and the fear of loud sounds is acousticophobia, so the non-official term would be pyroacousticophobia.
Me too by: Anonymous
I couldn't believe it when I read this, I can totally relate to how you feel. I've had this fear for years now and every time I enter a new strage rest room I have to creep in to make sure there's nothing that scares me in there. Fire alarms are the main thing but others are those automatic air fresheners that blink at you then spray all over you. Extractor fans, particularly noisy dusty old ones bring me out in a cold sweat.
I thought I was alone on this Phobia by: Sean
I've had this crazy phobia since I was about 4 when our house nearly lit fire and the small smoke detector in my room warned us about the small flame which was growing.
I can remember from that day I started to hate and fear those red detectors. In fact I remember from Middle school I would be terrified of that nasty sound. And our school had these old alarms which would make this loud pulsing frightening sound over and over...
For nights I would lay awake afraid to death about it happening, but I finally grew fond to it *Thank God* Haha.
Still, I think it's just that fact that you're alone when the alarm sounds.
I HATE being alone for many reasons, and that's one of them.
Red fire alarms by: Mike
When I was a kid I had the same fear of smoke detectors. It began one day when my house caught on fire and the smoke detectors warned us (naturally). For years I was terrified of them and the sound. When my mom would cook and accidentally set them off, I would burst into tears and plug my ears. For the remaining years in that house (roughly 2), I would plug my ears and run through the hallway that contained them. My brothers would torment me because of it. But, I eventually grew out of it. And ironically, in my 20s, my house burned down.
I also had a slight discomfort for the red fire alarms at my school. The noise they made really freaked me out. I avoided looking at them as well. If they were to go off while I was looking at them, I would have died! But it was no
What's the name? by: Jessica
Can anyone please tell me what this phobia is called...I'll be so relieved in a way.
