Fire Alarm . Dont know what to do

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My reaction to fire alarm going off has been horrific. I ended up on the floor, rolled in a ball crying and shaking unable to leave my house with that horrific noise blaring and blaring.. like going right throu my scull. Unable to think and comprehend, unable to move. It was an nightmarish experience.
(Anyone else experienced one of those things going off and had a similar reaction to it?).

If there had been an actual fire at the time instead of just stuck burnt toast.. I would of died as I was completely incapable of getting out. I was like frozen, stuck on the floor for 5mins due that alarm.. in this time my house started to fill up with smoke but I was unable to think my way out of the situation.

I even couldnt remember in the emotional state the too loud sudden noise put me into.. I couldnt think how to get out of my house (I wanted to get out of the house as I wanted to some get away from noise but couldnt).. .

My inability to think was so bad with the noise that I actually couldnt even figure out what the extreme noise was.. at time couldnt even work out it was the alarm going off so actually didnt even connect the horrific noise to a possible fire. All I was aware of was this noise and this noise like became my only reality.. it was EVERYWHERE, all around me and going right throu me.

I had no idea as I didnt know where the noise was coming from as it was surrounding me so was all around.. so there wasnt like a point I knew to head away from it, didnt know how to get away from it. So i ended up rolled in ball on floor with hands over ears.. trying to get away like that I guess.. the whole experience was quite painful, like my whole head was going to be shattered.

Due to that.. I now fear having a smoke decector which makes a loud noise.. to me that is no different to having an alarm which is going to go and break someones legs and prevent them getting out when one needs to get out (acutally its worst then that.. I was was left with a no ability to comprehend).. It scares me it too away my ability to function and get out when there could of been a fire.
The alarm the way it is.. actually makes a dangerous situation even more dangerous in my case (as there is no one who lives with me to get me out if Im on floor uncomprehending due to brain shattering noise). So having this alarm going, makes me not only feel unsafe but is unsafe for me.

My reaction to that was after that whole incident.. was to remove the batteries of the smoke detector.

The big issue is that it is apparently illegal in my country (or state of Sth Australia) to not have a smoke detector in ones house.

My doctor wrote a letter to the housing authorities I rent saying i needed to have a different smoke dectector put in due to the noise (he also stupidly wrote on the form that I need education in fire safety due to me removing the batteries.. he hasnt understood that detector makes an unsafe situation even more unsafer in my case. I do completely understand how unsafe a fire is!! I arent stupid!!
It is cause I do understand just how unsafe a fire is that Im so bothered by the fact of being stuck in my house with one, unable to get out due to the noise of the dectector.. that's a horrific situation to be stuck in ).

anyway.. maintence guy came in today with a new smoke dectector (one instead with flashing lights) and went to put it in.. but then said it makes loud noise. So of cause I then dont want him putting it in as that was the whole reason to get another one.. to not have loud noise causing me to go into a state I cant function at all in. So he left but Im now stuck not knowing what to do.. he said the ones with lights on them all have loud noise too and I know by law I have to have a detector (or is there something in the law in which if we cant get one without loud noise.. can having one be excempted?)

Please please someone advise. I dont want want something in my house which makes me incapable of getting out in event of a fire.

In the physics of sound there is something called "The Threshold of Pain", which is the point that sound gets so loud that is is painful to human ears. The fire alarms in one of the buildings I used to have business in, was a few decibels above that.

To manage to open the door to get out of the room, one was forced to temporarily sacrifice hearing in one ear.

They were so horribly loud for a reason though. To force people to leave the building rather than linger on the chance it might be a false alarm....the building contained dangerous chemicals.

I doubt your alarm is that loud, however when it goes off, clamp your hands over your ears and leave the premises.

I would look into what types of alarms a deaf person might have...

I realise they might have an audible alarm to alert anyone else on the premisis too, but I believe there are ones available with flashing lights (though you'd have to have one in every room)? I don't know if the ones with the lights also have sound to them.

Best of luck! *hugs*

My neighbour wears a "personal alarm" around her neck at all times. All she has to do is press the button and help will come. It's a nice looking thing. I don't know what it costs.

Could you phone the Fire Department (not 911) and ask what to do if you are incapacitated with the alarm going? They must know about that sort of thing.

I really feel for you - wouldn't it be nice to have a volume control over our hearing - and the other senses, too. Imagine being able to turn off smell. Or turn down seeing. We could go anywhere!

My uncle was mostly deaf and he got a hearing aid. It worked well. He was so pleased. He wore his hearing aid to the mall - and turned it off. Oh how I wish I could do that.

Where there was a small fire at my house I would have lived and everyone else would have died. I smelled the smoke first and yelled at my father that there was a damn fire in the house. The guy who was working with my dad on the furnace was definitely glad I was there.

The school where I teach is only a few years old, and they have installed super loud and shrill fire alarms. While most of the faculty, staff, and students walk down the hallway like normal during a fire drill, I along with several others, find the alarm to be downright unbearable. It hurts my ears. What we have to do is stick our fingers in our ears to block out the sound as much as possible. Ear plugs would also be a good option for me. Perhaps if nothing can be done with your current fire alarm you could have a quick way to plug your ears if and when it goes off.

What about a low frequency one. I've been reading about how they are less piercing than a standard one and are recommended for people with hearing problems. The only thing I can't find is whether they meet the required standard for Australia. Although I did find the organisation below which seem to say that the standards are being rewritten to allow for them. Perhaps you could contact them and ask directly.

http://access.asn.au/AnnouncementRetrieve.aspx?ID=40336

I do cover my ears.. but as i said the shock of the whole loud noise.. sets me off into a severe aspie meltdown (breakdown or emotional mess one could call it) on floor crying so I dont leave the house.. just sit there very very confused and it takes me 5mins or so to recover before I can think to move.
...............

thank you everyone esp Motherknowsbest for finding that info for me.. as I will contact them and ask them for alarm advice.

A quick google yielded this:

Western Australia Fire and Safety - CLICK!

There is a gentleman named in the second article down - Adam Boyle Executive Officer – Deaf & Hearing Impaired Smoke Alarm Committee. His email address is linked there. Your case is somewhat unique. Perhaps is you emailed him a polite but explicit letter about your porblem he may be able to make suggestions or work with your local fire department to come up with a solution. While your particular problem is not his specialty, his position sounds like one that would take interest in helping and devising a safety plan for you. Even if you are not in his area, just tell him how you found him and he can possibly refer you to someone closer to where you live.

I'm sure you are not the only sensory impaired ASD citizen in Oz! And firemen are usually real good guys!