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If I were a gambling man, I would guess that most of us at one time or another lived in an apartment complex. Some of us will spend the majority if not all of our life living in these buildings. There’s nothing wrong with that as long as the building and fire protection systems are being maintained in good working order.

This is especially true when it comes to the fire alarm system. I know for most of us, the piercing sound of a fire alarm going off at midnight or in the early morning hours tend to put people in an angry mood. I have responded to many of these alarms to find that no one has evacuated the building and everyone is still inside.

Remember, just because you look outside the door for a quick second and don’t see or smell anything does not mean that there is not a problem. This scenario happens too often and has played out to the worst case scenario with lives being lost.

The other part to this scenario is the tenant assumes that because the alarm has been activated, the fire department is automatically called. This is not true. Most apartments have a local alarm only and require someone to call 911 to report the fire. With a fire doubling in size every 30 seconds, we have little time to waste.

Now, let’s do a quick apartment safety inspection.

Do you have at least one working smoke detector in your apartment? (If your smoke detector is not working report this to your building manager.)

Can you open and close all your windows? (A window may be used for a second way out in an emergency.)

If you have a balcony, is it kept clear for a second emergency exit?

Are grills stored on the lower level and used a safe distance from the building? (Charcoal or LP gas grills are prohibited on balconies because of the fire hazard.)

When you exit into the hallway, are the exit signs lit and visible?

Are all the fire doors in the hallway and stairways closed? (A fire door is part of a rated enclosure to prevent fire from spreading.)

Are building stairways free from storage and rubbish?

Do you have an escape plan and know what to do in an emergency?

Now that you completed your safety check list, are you surprised at how easy it was?

I hope you found this article to be helpful and that it clarified the importance of treating every alarm as if it were an actual fire. Remember to make sure that someone calls 911 anytime an alarm is activated in an apartment because every second counts.

Troy Gudie is Onalaska’s assistant fire chief.

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