FIRE ALARMS from HELL !!!
Be aware of your Environment, especially rarely visited ones !!!
In the Left picture, centered above the 2 Teller windows, about 2 1/2 feet above where your head would be, (4 ft from Tellers), you can see the FA/Strobe combo (center pic), of which there are 3 more in the room (overkill!). There are 2 Strobe-Only's also in the room, Right pic.
Makes sense to have a Strobe there as Customers are lined up waiting, looking that way.
But to also have a Screecher (FA) in that location is Stupid, Idiotic, Irresponsible, but maybe could be Sadomasochism !
But wait, maybe there's a calculated plan to it after all, CUNNING but DEPRAVED !? The front half of this 3000 sq. ft. room has a higher ceiling which allows for a Office mezzanine area, across the front & half way back on each side. On this upper level, there appears to be 3 Strobe-Only FA's, one on each side. Makes sense, I sure wouldn't want a Screecher right outside my Office door ! And the back wall is open at the top to the work area. So was the plan to have the Screecher's in the Public area (office/work area is probably more than 3x the Public area, including the back half) loud enough (drop 30 dB over 100 ft?) to be heard through out the large (historical & fabulous) 2 story, with basement building, & to HELL with the Public (& Tellers)!? What are the odds that there are no other Screecher's in the building !? Well, it's a big building, must be at least one more somewhere. Back in the Teller area, there is at least one Strobe-Only, but working at the Teller Windows they get the Shrieking Blast too, but Tellers are expendable, pregnant ones too, right ?
Looking down the long Office hallway from the Back Door (employees only), one only can see one Strobe-Only, no Screechers, interesting !?
Here's something you will never see, unless their Masochistic ! To see the Building/Headquarters Mangers (or anyone who thinks this is not a problem!) stand where I was, with their Hands secured (simulating a Woman holding a Baby or Handicapped person) or to have them volunteer a pregnant employee to stand-in for them (well if they don't think this is a big deal, why wouldn't they?) & have the Screecher's activated ! Of course the total unexpected sudden Shock would be missing. It would be required to have their hearing tested before & after.
Of course no plugging/covering the ears would be allowed or an already Deaf "ringer" stand-in !
Even better would be the so called "Human" who designed this bit of HELL, volunteer it's favorite pregnant one!
This would be an interesting research project, No? Like a 3th trimester Fetus could be monitored for it's Kicking Outburst (web note 2) & then monitor it's Hearing ability as it grows up!
American Academy of Pediatrics www.aap.org/policy/re9728.html ---
Noise: A Hazard for the Fetus & Newborn (RE9728)
in which the CONCLUSION reads --- "- (1) exposure to excessive noise during pregnancy may result in high-frequency hearing loss in newborns, & may be associated with prematurity & intrautering growth retardation, (2) exposure to noise in the NICU may result in cochlear damage, & (3) exposure to noise & other environmental factors in the NICU may disrupt the normal growth & development of premature infants. -"
This is not a Safety/Hazards issue ???
Criminal Child Endangerment ??? (web note 2)
In this large multi-level room, there are nine (9) STROBES, of which 3 to 4 can be observed at a time ! The National Fire Code Handbook, NFPA72H, A-4-4.4.1(3), reads --- "Testing has shown that high flash rates of high intensity strobe lights can pose a potential risk of seizure to people with PHOTOSENSITIVE EPILEPSY. To reduce this risk, more than two visible appliances are not permitted in any field of view unless they are separated by at least 55 ft or unless their flashes are synchronized."
Come on FED's, fess-up, are these 9 Strobes Synchronized or not !???
A sinister, invisible BOOBY-TRAP, whether it be an unannounced Test, False or Real Alarm !!!
While only one example of the overall problem ---
Not comforting to realize that I'm implying that more Government "Bureaucracy" is needed these days, but with a apparent lack of management/common sense/ethics/pride/consideration for others, along with a shortage of uniform design/engineering/testing, equals Danger to the Public, something's lacking !!!
Not only have I experienced this, (see letter below) but have heard from others (installers & Firemen) about the EXTREME, UNNECESSARY LOUDNESS of many Fire Alarms.
Apparently, instead of calculating & testing to get the accepted 6 to 15 dB loudness over Background noise, the attitude apparently is to install plenty (more $$$ for installer) of the loudest Fire Alarms & be done with it !
But when a Screeching FA is placed within 2 1/2 feet of the Head of a unsuspecting person, standing in the specific location in order to do business inside the building, while in a Public place, in a 3000 sq ft room, enough is enough !!! (see above photos)
And then to have the unmitigated gall to TEST the FA's during Business hours without any warning to the Public, (including those with weak Hearts, sensitive Ears, young Children/Fetus, even Dogs) when in fact the testers seem to relish the SHOCK treatment to others !!!
The apparent irresponsible designer/layout/installer, whatever, of this one is probably still bragging/laughing to his peers about it !!!
It is one thing to work in an extremely nosily environment where you are prepared/expecting it, & another to create a FA Shock effect of the same level to unsuspecting/unprepared Public unnecessarily, to the point of it being criminally negligent involving Child/Fetus Endangerment !
I believe that OSHA's noise dB exposure time levels are no justification/defense regarding FA's, as they are completely unexpected, unexperienced, invisible & SHOCKing, compared to a routine/daily working environment where you are accustom & prepared/ready for it !
So, what may be needed is that anywhere the Public is allowed to visit for Business/Pleasure, Private or Government, etc., (regular employees have their Unions to look after their well being) the following guidelines need to be added/inserted to what's already out there.
1) Designers/installers/testers must be licensed/bonded.
2) FA's must be of a fixed output, not adjustable to someone's sadistic pleasure. (some have 4 levels)
3) FA's must be marked on the outside as to their dB output, & visible from the floor.
4) Testing (after hours, or "lock" the Public out) must be done in the areas accessible to the Public & change's made to the FA's output/lay-out, so that the maximum dB levels are not excessively over the accepted 6 to 15 dB over Background level in any part of the Public area !
How can you Trust someone to warn others of a FA Test when they appear to relish your Shock !?
5) Test reports must be made available to the Public, on display would be better.
6) Many new FA's have a built-in Strobe Light to enhance the warning. The Strobe should come on First (5 seconds? I lost much more time than that standing in Shock with my Ears covered!) before the FA's Shrieking, to ease the Shock & allow people to yell "Fire" & to communicate with others! Even better/also would be for the Screecher to start out at a lower output & ramp-up to it's maximum, engineered, output for that location. (see BofA below)
I was so Shocked that I didn't relate it to a Fire Alarm !!!
7) In places (Rock Concerts, etc,) where the Background dB level varies suddenly/considerably, have a relay/breaker shut down the power for the "noise" when the FA is activated.
8) Replace the inefficient (drops 30 dB over 100 feet?) Shrieking FA's (piezo-electric?) with a new modern design. Audio Speakers (could also serve for Public announcements) have made big improvements, like the "ribbon" design. Their dB level changes little over distance, compared to the current FA's! They may cost more, be bigger, but fewer would be needed & the dB overdose would diminish, especially to young children/fetus who could suffer a lifetime of hearing loss/problems.
9) Humanize the un-holy Shrieking !!! This must be improved, so "Shrieking" & "Screecher" no longer describes FA's !
10) Until such improvements have been implemented, a Warning Sign similar/better than what follows, needs to be visible at all Entrances used by the Public.
"Danger, you are entering a building where you may be subjected to an Auditory Assault, without warning, (could be a Test, False or Real) to a shocking, extremely loud Fire Alarm, that may lead to disorientation, hearing loss or heart attack!
Especially dangerous to children, fetus
& even animals!”
The letters that started all this, "Fire Alarm Boondoggle" & "Boondoggle is too Polite -"
Positive example: Bank of America; From 2 Employee's I hear that their FA tests go about like this. An Intercom message warns of a pending test, then the Strobes are activated, then the FA's are sounded. And one can communicate over the FA's, they are not excessive or Screeching or Shocking !!! Good for you BofA, you have done your homework !
Politicians/Officials who have or have not responded to this issue ---
Pasadena City Council, no response yet
Pasadena Postmaster, no response yet
Western Regional Postmaster, no response yet
Postal/Watch, no response yet
Postmaster General, no response yet
Michael Antonovich, LA County Board of Supervisors, Twice responded, helped.
Adam Schiff, US Representative, (waiting for clarification of 1st response)
Jack Scott, US Senate, no response yet
Carol Liu, CA Assembly, researching
Notice: If anyone is offended by the above info, it is likely coincidental, & if anyone knows of any of the above to be false info, you are to immediately inform me of such !
Anyone who has experienced/knows such an incident or has other information, please contact me.
James Peterson FireAlarms@earthlink.net 10-10-03