Watching MockingJay the other day and I noticed as the aircraft left for District 12, you can here something that sounds very similar to the simplex voice evacuation chime/tone.
I donât know if this movie was ever discussed on here but if anyone remembers the movie called Mr. Mom from 1983 with Michael Keaton there is one scene near the beginning of the movie where the smoke detector is going off. It makes an electromechanical or buzzing noise. The detector looks like a first alert but not totally sure. I was unable to post a clip from the movie on here but anyone who has seen this movie will probably know the scene I am referring too. He is in the kitchen and a boiling pot on the stove sets the alarm off. Jack (Michael Keaton) silences the alarm with the fire extinguisher.
A couple years ago there was a short lived show on Fox called Running Wilde, staring Will Arnett and Keri Russel. Will Arnettâs character (Steven Wilde) lives in this mansion that is supposed to be his private home. The mansion is actually part of the Guggenheim Estate in New York - also called the Hempstead House. From their web site, the house is available for private functions and events and has also been used to film other television and movies.
Anyway, watching this show, you can clearly see where they cover up fire alarm devices (horn/strobes and pull stations) along with exit signs and emergency lights. But every once in a while they forget to cover up something! Episode #3 has a lot of these mistakes. Here are some stills from the show:
https://cdn.thefirepanel.com/legacy/3089_2e11073ee7fd78712a111ef16e9c2927.jpg The âmain entrance foyerâ of the house - you will notice there is a smoke detector and odd âboxâ right below it to the left of the horse picture, there is another rather large âboxâ right above the glass doors (covered up EXIT sign), and actually another small âboxâ behind the one open door (follow the wiremold)
https://cdn.thefirepanel.com/legacy/3089_085b890ce968485dfeb516c0cdacc6b3.jpg Someone forgot to cover up the EXIT sign (covered up in the picture above)
https://cdn.thefirepanel.com/legacy/3089_491fba06dbf71bc849fe8d62c3ebacc7.jpg Same foyer - someone forgot to cover up the strobe below the smoke detector
Couple more âoopsââŚ
Obviously those examples were just production goofs, but donât some large houses have commercial fire alarm systems though?
We installed a DSC commercial fire/burglar system in a mansion up in PA once that was a private home. The primary reason was to make the installation easier without having to run two systems. And we didnât have to adhere to commercial codes so we could hide horns in vents and not have to use red keypads. But from what I understand, the place they shot this show, you can rent it out for weddings and such so itâs considered public space. And thatâs why they have a fully operational fire alarm system.
Hereâs a clip from it with the alarm. Iâm not sure if they cut parts out but you can barely see the alarm at
https://youtu.be/IBm6ld4wpGY?t=31.
The sound is an AC electromechanical alarm.
lethal weapon 4⌠classic movie myth. :roll:
pull station activates sprinklers.
Hey Fire Alarm Fan. Thanks for the clip and yes I do believe the part was shortened or it could be in the clip before this but there is a clearer shot of the alarm before it goes off. But again to me is looks like an older first alert. If you know what is Fire Alarm Fan, please let me know. Thanks. Donât know if that sound is dubbed in or if that is the actual sound of the alarm.
The sound of that alarm although electromechanical didnât bother me. But again I have heard that DC or battery ones are much more higher pitched and screechier than AC ones. I also have another question about AC electromechanical alarms from that time period. I do have a Nortron smoke detector that is AC powered. I purchased it at a local antique shop almost a year ago. It has a brass squealer as well and I would say the detector was made between 1977 and 1980. How would I be able to set this alarm off? If anyone on here might know I think it would be you Fire Alarm Fan. But anyone is welcome. 
The model number of the Nortron detector is TR88. The battery powered one is the TR77 which I am also still searching for.
Last nightâs episode of The Goldbergs featured Gentex Commander 3s at the school. A little flaw in the set, with the show being set in the 80s!! :lol:
Would a Wheelock 700x or a 2903 be more aproprite for that time period? Maybe if they filmed at a actual school they werenât aloud to cover it up.
I never understood why Television shows and movies bothered to cover-up fire alarms and emergency signage. It seems like it would just a waste of time and production costs.
Doesnât look like this was discussed here but yesterday I saw an old Gimme A Break episode from February 1984 titled Knock Three Times. It features a smoke alarm the somewhat resembles an older first alert although I could be wrong. It briefly makes a piezo sound when Katie accidently drops the alarm on the floor. If it is not a first alert does anyone know what it is and also is that sound a created one or the actual sound of the alarm? The alarm is shown at 12:55
Itâs a BRK 79R, and the only alarm I know of that makes a tone that low is my Vigilante ES-3, although itâs in continuous.
Oh okay thanks Fire Alarm Fan. I didnât think that was the actual sound of that alarm. I always thought they had electromechanical horns.
In the 1992 movie Degrassiâs Out which was a series up here in Canada there is a scene in Tessaâs kitchen the features what I think is a very old Montgomery Ward smoke alarm with what sounds like an A/C squealer horn. I didnât think these horns were as freaky sounding as D/C ones. Fire Alarm Fan would probably know what the alarm is. My neighbour had one of these alarms but it had a made the higher pitched D/C squealer sound. So there must have been two versions? Also I didnât know you could silence these with a broom as Joey does here. I thought you had to take the battery right out to silence them when the alarm went off. The alarm is shown around 8:18 in the video.
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Sorry I wasnât able to post the video. I tried 4 times but it wouldnât work. But it is on youtube shown in parts. The alarm is featured in part 3 of 8.
Definitely an older Wards/Mastercraft. And I did some audio analysis (using Goldwaveâs Dynamics effect) and the sound is indeed an AC horn. So it might have been a Wards AC unit (if they made them) and they recorded the sound separately and put it in in post. Also the silencing with a broom is just for entertainment.