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Blaring fire alarm finally turned off
Ocala residents are relieved after a blaring fire alarm that was going off for almost a week was finally turned off
OCALA, Fla. - After eight days of continuous ringing, a sprinkler fire alarm that was antagonizing residents at an Ocala apartment building on Juniper Road has finally been shut off.
Felita Wilson has lived in the building for close to two years. She said it’s not the first time the alarm has blared 24 hours for days on end.
"I felt trapped in my own home," Wilson said. "I just felt trapped, there was no escape from that noise. It just stays with me… that noise… that continuous noise on and on and on and on…"
After Wilson called us, FOX 35 did some digging and made some calls. Less than 24 hours later, the alarm was disabled.
"I feel good about it, and I appreciate FOX 35 News for coming out to get the story out, and I’m sure everybody around here appreciates you guys as well," Wilson said. "Thank you so much to the entire FOX 35 News team."
Wilson said she is relieved to have peace and quiet back, but she’s still on edge. She’s worried the fix is just another band-aid solution by the building’s management company.
We reached out to Suncoast Property Management, LLC.
Over the phone, a woman told us, "The story is done" and the company will not be answering questions about the alarm. The woman also refused to provide us with contact information for company management. FOX 35’s Hannah Mackenzie asked if residents would be reimbursed for rent as most haven’t slept soundly in a week. She declined to respond.
"I don’t think they would ever do something like that," Wilson said. "I think these people would rather eat nails than lose money."
According to Marion County Fire Rescue, Savage Fire Protection, Inc. was the company that disabled the alarm. Their name and number are on the fire sprinkler alarm system. Multiple attempts to reach them went unanswered.
"When you call them, that number doesn’t… you can’t get anybody it’s like it’s disconnected," said neighbor Honie Rebuth.
Rebuth and Laurence Morgan live next door.
"What worries me is if a fire alarm goes off and no one comes and there’s really a fire… that’s what worries me," Morgan said.
"Yeah, or if there’s a fire and they need the alarm to go off… is it going to go off? Or are they just going to burn to the ground?" questioned Rebuth.
The couple said they think the issue with the sprinkler fire alarm is linked to a flood in the building last year.
"The whole place flooded out and all these people lost their stuff and their belongings got ruined," Rebuth said.
The glaring question now is whether water is being fed to the building’s indoor fire sprinkler system.
FOX 35 has reached out to the Marion County Fire Marshal to find out who is responsible for checking on the sprinkler system to determine whether it is operational.
According to county code enforcement and Marion County Fire Rescue, if the alarm issue persists, the fire marshal has the authority to fine the management company.