If you follow me on social media, you will have noticed that last Monday night at around 7:30pm, I posted that the fire alarm went off in my building. While it was nothing more than someone burning their dinner, it got me thinking about what happens if developmentally different or sensory friendly individuals ever had a situation involving the fire alarm going off in an apartment building.
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Now, as you who know me well understand that I detest fire alarms. They are bothersome and I have gotten sensory overloads over them because of the noise. When I graduated from Seekonk High School in 2007, I thought that would be the end of it, but it wasn’t.
Once I moved into my apartment in 2015, I learned that the fire alarms had followed me there. There have been moments where the unexpected fire alarm went off during my 8 years of independent living. In fact, there have even been several times that it went off in the middle of the night which is the worst possible time for the fire alarm to go off.
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Now, if you or anyone you know is neurodivergent and living on their own, you get the understanding that fire alarms are not just bothersome, but an aggrivation. However, it’s important to understand that when it comes to apartments, they have to follow local and state laws in regards to fire alarms. Still, it’s a good idea to prepare for the unexpected if you or someone you know is moving out of the house has a plan in case the unexpected were to happen.
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Now, it doesn’t have to be to the minute because when it comes to fire alarms going off in an apartment building, the fire alarms don’t care about anything except their job. If you or your family is deeply connected with your town’s fire department, you can work with the fire department and you can come up with a plan to help take the edge off when the time comes.
For one thing, have your apartment be the closest to the building exit as possible. Fortunately for me, I am in an area of the building where I can easily escape from quickly.
Secondly, have your cellular phone with you in case you need to call parents/guardians or even friends because you might be outside for a good long while. If you have a neighbor that is close to you, you can wait out the alarm with that neighbor in an area where the noise isn’t as loud.
Thirdly, it’s also a good idea to practice with someone from the fire department to simulate an actual moment when the alarm goes off. Rehearsing what to do can give you an idea on how to stay calm. For instance, if you are in bed and the alarm goes off in the middle of the night, get quickly dressed and go out as quickly as you can, moving away from the building. You can rehearse this during the day by practicing being asleep and then someone can say “fire alarm” and the individual can practice the situation at hand.
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Finally, it’s important to also remember that fire alarms can go off for a variety of reasons. The entire building is equipped with fire alarms because if one apartment has a fire problem, then the whole building needs to evacuate. But it isn’t just fire problems, the biggest culprits are high humidity, heat and steam from the shower. Unused apartments can also get very warm during the winter months and can trigger the fire alarm as well (trust me, it happened to me once in January 2019).
Still, it’s my personal and professional opinion that neurodivergent/sensory friendly apartment tenants get the same accommodations and support as they did in school. A good idea would be to get in touch with not just the fire department, but also life coaches, disability services representatives and rehabilitation specialists. Sit down, come up with a plan to address what to do when the moment arises. If it helps, have the individual who is living in the apartment be involved in the planning.
Remember that fire alarms are no one’s best friends, but they have a job to do to keep you and others safe and their services don’t end when you graduate from high school or college.
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Catch you all later!!
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