2026-02-12 17:58 UTC
@majick @tagir_valeev There could be some cases where the test checks sound etc, where evacuation is not the drill, but those indeed would be exceptions.
In Latvia, in 2013 fire alarms were repeatedly set off in a supermarket. Security just reset them, and employees & shoppers returned, then ignored the alarms.
The building collapsed and 54 people died.
Whenever I hear a fire alarm, I first get the fuck out, then I figure out what's happening.
https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lielveikala_%22Maxima%22_sagr%C5%AB%C5%A1ana_R%C4%ABg%C4%81
Replies (1)
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@majick@mefi.social 2026-02-12 18:07
@richlv @tagir_valeev Operators resetting/muting the alarm without understanding why it fired is a perfect example of alarm fatigue. A tragedy like that underscores why it's a Big Fuckin' Deal to avoid it. The root cause of a failure like that is almost never the dude who did that. It's the circumstances that led to that dude thinking it was the correct thing to do. Then people die. My own opinion that evacuation is always the drill. Working on the alarm device, be it wiring, programming, or the noise that comes out of it, is part of working on an end-to-end system that includes people going away from the alarm.