Fire alarms and the virus.....

The Quarantine Zone
1

I live on the 7th floor of a 12-storey high-rise. Probably 500-600 people live in the building.

Last night - the fire alarm went off. Normally - I would take the stairs and gather with everyone else in the lobby (and maybe outside if the weather permits). One of the four elevators is left running for the disabled. I would say that normally about 2/3 of the residents obey the alarm and make their ways downstairs.

So what do you do in this virus situation? I didn’t want to take the stairs in close proximity to others - not to mention the potential crowd in the lobby (there was light rain outside). I decided to stay in my apartment - there was no smell of smoke, and the firetrucks normally arrive within 3 to 5 minutes. They arrived on schedule; dealt with the cause of the alarm (excellent alarm system - it’s almost always something burning on someone’s stove that sets it off); and reset it within a couple of minutes.

Did I do the right thing? In the worst case scenario - an announcement would come over the intercom telling everyone to evacuate.

2

Personally, in this instance, I probably wouldn’t go downstairs. I’d look outside, maybe text with a neighbor if I know them, and stay vigilant. If there’s an intercom that’ll let you know if you truly need to get out, I’d definitely respond to that. But it sounds like having the leave all the time, when there isn’t a true emergency is going to put you in more danger then is reasonable. As long as you’re staying very aware and not just rolling over and going back to bed or something, I think you’d be okay. That’s what I’D do, anyway. Others may feel differently, but as someone else who lives in an apartment complex (and a cheap one, at that), I totally get where you’re coming from.

3

I live in a mid-rise, and there’s no way we’re going out for a fire alarm when every last one of them is a false alarm.

If I smell smoke, I might change my mind and hope it’s not too late to scramble for the nearest exit. But having hundreds of people scoot downstairs at the same time is a recipe for contagion.