About a month ago, my mother apparently put some food in the stove and decided to take a nap. My stepfather, who was going out, suggested she not go to sleep while cooking, but my mother said, "Oh, I never actually fall asleep."
But she did fall asleep. My stepfather couldn't reach her and ended up having to call the doorman to enter the apartment to wake her up so the apartment didn't burn down.
When she was telling me about this, I said, "Why didn't the fire alarm go off?"
She said, "I don't have a fire alarm."
Yeah, why have a fire alarm?
My mother is very sensitive to noise, and apparently, the alarm was going off all the time, so she dismantled it. Now she refuses to get a new one, because she claims the noise will give her a heart attack before she burns down. It's driving me crazy that she won't get a fire alarm! And moreover, when I try to convince her, she acts like I'm being cruel.
She's not afraid of death. She's only afraid of noise. What can I do?
If she lives in a building with a doorman, I assume it's many units. I am sure the fire code requires alarms/detection in every unit. There are options for alarms that flash lights. Detector placement away from cooking areas will reduce false alarms. This should be non-negotiable for her safety & that of her neighbors.
ReplyDeleteTry a Nest? It can be set up to send alerts to your phone when it senses low levels of smoke that probably come from food burning rather than a full out fire. It also warns you before it goes off so you hear a soothing woman's voice before a blaring alarm.
ReplyDeletehttps://nest.com/ca/smoke-co-alarm/meet-nest-protect/
As Mary mentioned above, depending on how big the apartment is or where she is likely to be, you could get a silent fire alarm (for the hearing impaired), that flashes lights, or even one that comes with an attachment for under the mattress that vibrates (for when she absolutely must nap while cooking). Also, for your peace of mind, you might want to see if you can get her a stove that can be programmed to turn off after a set time, like two hours, etc, and show her (or your stepfather?) how to use it.
ReplyDeleteMy mom can't hear w/o her aid. She takes it out at night. We got a smoke detector that shines a strobe light for her bedroom. The light will wake her. Maybe this wel help?
ReplyDeleteMy godfather (who was also my uncle) died in a house fire that was started by a forgotten pot of soup on the stove. My godmother (my mother's sister) was heating it up for his meal and then fell asleep. There was no fire alarm in the house. Long story short - she was burned but survived, he died in bed (he was disabled by multiple sclerosis). I would spare you the agony of my family that this tragedy unleased. Install a smoke alarm in your mom's apartment, even if you have to lie to her and tell her that its the law. Put it somewhere that she cannot tamper with it. While you're at it, if her apartment is heated by anything other than electricity, install a carbon dioxide monitor as well. You can buy detectors that do both - smoke and carbon monoxide.
ReplyDeleteThis is a public safety issue. If she wants to go live somewhere far from others she can sleep while cooking with no fire alarm. If she is in a building with others it's unthinkably irresponsible. Someone should tell the landlord. The choices should be fire alarm or eviction.
ReplyDeleteThere are versions made for kitchens and bathrooms that sense heat vs smoke. I have a really small house and mine would go off down the hall after just having a shower. The new one hasn't gone off ever. Works great and is safe.
ReplyDeleteShe's not alone- many people do this
ReplyDeleteShow her this video: "Why seconds count"
https://youtu.be/piofZLySsNc
I told her what you guys said and she claims she's going to get one on Monday, but I'll Believe it when I see it.
ReplyDeleteI'm deaf. The versions that flash light generally rely on hearing the beeping sound from regular fire alarms, both the tone and the pattern of the beep. You can get flashing alarms that hardwire into the electrical system, but most are accompanied by a helluva loud siren that will scare the shit out of most people.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of being deaf, a friend of mine burned up in a fire a year ago because he was asleep and didn't hear the alarms. He was fighting with his landlord to get accessible alarms put in, which was the landlord's responsibility. It's a shame it came too late. Anyone who is asleep when a fire starts and doesn't have an alarm runs the risk of that happening to them.
I'm happy to report that I frightened her enough that she got an alarm.
ReplyDelete