That's what I said on Sunday morning at 4:00 a.m. as I woke up to the most god awful sound of the fire alarm. It is earsplitting and went on for about five minutes..I got up and put on my kimono slippers and ran out in the hall, just two of the residents straggled out of their apartments and looked around, they were too frazzled and not really with it - actually neither was I but decided if there is a fire, I guess I'll go down the stairs..in my sleepy state I kind of noticed "no numbers on the doors" - I live on the 6th floor, couldn't really tell if I had reached the ground floor, but did reach the sub-basement, crazy dark and dreary, I looked out a door it was pitch dark,and no one was there..talk about scary..so I trooped back up all the flights of stairs, with my heart pounding, (I'm claustrophobic so it was more than just the stairs) I hate closed in places.
To make a long story short. would you believe the fire alarm had stopped BUT, then continued to scream in our ears just about every 15 to 20 minutes till 8:00 a.m. My friend Lettie tells me it rang for 5 minutes or more twelve times total. Poor Lettie on her side(tower A) she went down the stairs twice.
We did have a male nurse who told us the new system was not completely installed and they did not know how to turn it off properly..(no kidding) He also told me the system indicated a fire on the second and sixth floor, but he couldn't find any smoke or fire anywhere..Only 8 people were on duty at that time...all were just as frustrated and completely out of their depth. I kept wanting to phone 911, but then would think oh maybe now it's finished and I can sleep..ha. fat chance.
I thought we would get some kind of apology and explanation from the powers that be, today..BUT NO..so I am going to make a few suggestions.
1. get the damn system fixed pronto
2. put numbers on the front and back of the stairwell doors
3. put a bright tape on the last step of each flight so a person like Lettie doesn't almost fall on her face thinking there is another step (as that is what came close to happening to her.)
4. What on earth will they do if there is a real fire, almost all the people are too old and weak to take the stairs. Just think Lettie has a pace maker and she said it kept going on..how awful..
I was so uptight with claustrophobia that I had to get out of the building right away in the morning, and at 8:30 when the men were fixing the elevators I insisted I go down and out right away. (by the way all the doors to the floors were locked i.e. when I was going back up I didn't know what floor I was on - no #'s, so I would try the doors they were locked except for the top floor, 6th, thank God. I now have the cat's leash by the door in case of fire, so he will be with me, poor guy he didn't know what was going on. I can only say Thank God too that Mac was not here, he would have panicked and been in a state.loud horrible noises were one of his real hates, he would have had a fit.
So as I write this all is well, but tomorrow, I'm going to get on the director's cases for sure. so g'nite.
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