A customer in Phoenix once told me his old system was 'too loud to be safe'

I was doing a panel swap at his house about two years back. He pointed at the old siren and said the piercing sound made him freeze up instead of moving. He argued a softer, repeating tone would get people out faster. I've thought about that a lot since. Do you think super loud alarms can actually be counterproductive for home safety?

3 comments

3 Comments

davis.ivan25d ago

That "freeze up instead of moving" thing is so real. My old apartment building had a fire alarm that sounded like a demon screaming. The one time it went off for real, I just stood in my kitchen staring at the wall for a solid minute. My brain completely shut down. A neighbor had to bang on my door to snap me out of it. A loud beep would have gotten me moving way faster than that air raid siren.

kelly.robin1mo ago

Makes total sense that a crazy loud noise would just paralyze someone. My old car alarm was so harsh it made me jump every time, never made me think clearly. A steady, urgent beep seems way more effective for getting people to move.

the_hannah1mo ago

Wait, your car alarm made you jump every single time? That sounds like a torture device, not a safety feature. I'd be ripping the wires out after a week. How did you even live with that? A steady beep is annoying but at least it tells your brain what to do. A sudden blast just fries your nerves.