I was doing the check out of the fire alarm system in a new eatery that had a Mediterranean pirate’s hide out theme with wallpaper that had cocoanut trees and pirate ships being moored in small coves. There was also exotic trees in planter boxes. To get you in the mood of a pirate’s lair there was a huge parrot in a cage just as you entered the main door. The fire alarm panel was situated by the main door also for easy access for the Fire Department. There was a fire alarm bell right by the main door also. I was manning the fire alarm panel while my helper set out to activate the fire alarm devices. When the first alarm went off the parrot gave off a very loud squawk. I immediately turned to the cage and saw the bird go stiff on his roost then fall straight down. He was DOA before he hit the bottom of the cage - instant heart attack.
Who would’ve known.
Toronto, Ontario guy
That alarm must have been really loud… :roll:
A standard 85 db alarm bell.
But it begs the question “How many parrots have heard an alarm bell go off near them and can rationalize what it is they are exactly hearing?”
If the parrot had been kept in a pet store before it probably had never heard an alarm bell before.
Think of your reaction if you have been asleep in an apartment at night and the fire alarm bell, or horn, goes off in your apartment. Same thing for the parrot, but I guess his ticker isn’t as durable as the human one.
I gave notice to the eatery the following year for the annual inspection and the replacement parrot was removed for the day.
But, I still wonder, … What if there is ever a legitimate alarm?
Toronto, Ontario guy
I had a day where I was standing on a stepladder testing a heat detector in a real quiet office building. Loud horns. I was standing there with the heat tester trying to get the thing to sound… Took a while. Eventually it suddenly went and scared the hell out of me, and caused me to yell an expletive in surprise and drop the heat tester.
At least your superior couldn’t hear the word over the sound of the loud horns. Not yet, at least… 
What were the horns, anyway?