Quirky & Unusual Stories From The Fire Alarm – Intruder Alarm & CCTV World

A bit of year end fun from SS Systems to see the old year out and the new year in. If you think fire alarms, CCTV, and security systems are dull pieces of hardware, think again, because the world of safety tech is full of quirky history, bizarre inventions, and genuinely hilarious moments. From 18th-century night watchmen clacking wooden rattles through the streets, to chicken-powered fire detectors, to NASA’s zero-gravity extinguishers, the evolution of safety equipment has been anything but ordinary.

1. CCTV has captured everything from pizza-thieving dogs to late-night wildlife “burglars,” and early intruder alarms were set off so often by pets that engineers had to invent “cat-proof” sensors. Whether it’s glow-in-the-dark fire exits, telegraph-powered alarm boxes, or movie sets disabling detectors because fog machines keep triggering them, the safety industry has a long, strange, and surprisingly entertaining past.The Watchman’s Rattle
   Before electronic alarms, night watchmen in the 1700s and 1800s carried big wooden “clappers” or rattles. If they spotted fire, they’d spin them to make a loud, clacking sound to wake people up. Kind of like the world’s first portable fire alarm.The Telegraph Fire Boxes Were Like Early 911
   In the 1800s, U.S. cities installed red fire alarm boxes on street corners. You’d pull a lever inside, and it sent a coded telegraph signal to the fire department. Some of those boxes are still on the streets today—though most are disconnected.

   The Chicken Coop Detector
   In the 1930s, a farmer in England reportedly tied strings from his chicken coop to a bell inside his house. If the chickens panicked from smoke, they’d tug the strings and ring the bell. (Not UL-listed, but apparently it worked!)

   Hollywood’s Problem with Smoke Detectors
   Movie sets often disable alarms because fake smoke from fog machines will trigger them. There are entire services dedicated to “fire watch” on film sets just to stand by with extinguishers.

   Glow-in-the-Dark Exit Tricks
   Before modern strobes, some early systems used glow-in-the-dark paint and phosphorescent arrows to guide people during alarms at night. Not very high-tech, but surprisingly effective.

   The Phone Line Alarms
   In the mid-20th century, many fire alarm systems were directly connected to phone lines. If the system tripped, it automatically dialed the fire department. A cat once famously triggered one by chewing on the wire, sending a false alarm call.

   Fire – Here are some fun and surprising facts about the fire extinguisher industry:

   1.  Fire extinguishers are ancient
      1. The first known fire extinguisher design dates back to 1723, when Ambrose Godfrey (a German chemist living in London) patented a device that used gunpowder to release fire-suppressing chemicals.
   2. Extinguishers once had soda and acid inside
      1. In the 19th century, many extinguishers worked by mixing sodium bicarbonate with sulfuric acid. When activated, they created carbon dioxide gas to push out water or chemicals. Basically, a giant science experiment in a can.
   3. They aren’t always red
      1. While most people picture a red canister, different countries use different colors. In the UK, for example, extinguishers were historically color-coded by type (water = red, foam = cream, CO₂ = black, powder = blue, halon = green). Today, most are mostly red but still marked with colored labels.
   4. NASA has special space extinguishers
      1. On the International Space Station, you can’t use normal extinguishers, because spraying foam or powder in zero gravity would be a disaster. They use CO₂ or water mist systems inside sealed hoods to starve a fire of oxygen.
   5. They expire (but often get forgotten)
      1. Fire extinguishers typically last 5–15 years, but many people never check them. Some studies show that in small businesses, up to 40% of extinguishers are expired or unmaintained.
   6. There’s an extinguisher for lithium batteries
      1. With the rise of EVs and electronics, special extinguishers now exist for lithium-ion battery fires—they often use water mist or special agents to cool and contain runaway reactions.
   7. Old extinguishers can explode
      1. Vintage soda-acid extinguishers, if left pressurized for decades, can corrode and burst. Collectors of antique extinguishers sometimes find them still full!
   8. The industry is huge and growing
      1. The global fire extinguisher market is worth billions of dollars, and growth is driven by stricter safety codes, EV adoption, and construction in developing regions.
   9. Not all extinguishers are portable
      1. Industrial sites often use wheeled extinguishers (50–350 lbs) or fixed suppression systems for massive hazards like chemical tanks, aircraft hangars, or data centers.
   10. Halon was once the king
       1. For decades, halon extinguishers were prized because they didn’t leave residue. But halon depletes the ozone layer, so production was banned in most countries in the 1990s, though critical uses (like aircraft) still allow it.

   CCTV – Here are some quirky, funny, and unusual CCTV stories from around the world:

   1. The Dog Burglar
      1. In 2017, a CCTV camera in the UK caught a dog carrying a stolen pizza down the street. The footage went viral, and people jokingly called it a “four-legged thief.”
   2. Dance Break in the Bank
      1. A bank’s security camera caught a group of employees dancing during lunch. The footage was meant for security, but it ended up being shared online as a funny viral clip.
   3. The Cake Thief
      1. A woman in Japan was caught on CCTV repeatedly stealing cakes from a convenience store. The footage was so ridiculous, she used a bag, a stick, and even tried hiding behind displays, that the store posted it online as a humorous warning.
   4. Delivery Gone Wrong
      1. CCTV cameras often catch delivery fails. One clip shows a driver dropping a huge package, which bounces off a car roof and lands in a pond. Thankfully, it wasn’t a person!
   5. Nighttime Wildlife Surprise
      1. Some home CCTV cameras have caught owls, raccoons, and even foxes wandering indoors or onto patios, looking like intruders. Owners were shocked until they realised it wasn’t a human burglar.
   6. Baby Monitor Confusion
      1. Modern baby monitors double as CCTV cameras. One parent was startled to see a “masked intruder” on the feed, turns out it was their baby in a Halloween mask.
   7. Fitness Caught on Tape
      1. CCTV in a mall captured a man sprinting through corridors, only to reveal he was chasing after an ice cream truck that left the parking lot. Security assumed a robbery at first.
   8. The Cat Burglar Alarm
      1. A homeowner in the UK once had their burglar alarm going off repeatedly, only to discover it was their own cat walking across the sensor pads. The cat became a local celebrity after several “false alarm” calls to the police.
   9. Hollywood False Alarms
      1. On some movie sets, fake burglar alarms go off all the time because of actors or props accidentally triggering sensors. One set reportedly had seven alarm trips in a single day, each time halting filming and calling “security.”
   10. Wind as the Villain
       1. In the 1980s, a small-town bank installed a new alarm system. It kept triggering at night, and it turns out a strong wind was rattling the metal grates on the windows, repeatedly simulating a break-in.
   11. The Accidental Call to 911
       1. Some old alarm systems were directly linked to the local police via phone lines. One homeowner’s system called 911 every time the mailman delivered letters, until they rewired it.
   12. The Alarm That Saved a Wedding
       1. At a wedding venue in the U.S., a burglar set off the alarm during the reception. Security arrived quickly, and not only was the venue protected, but the thieves were caught mid-heist, all thanks to the loud siren.
   13. Invisible Lasers vs. Intruders
       1. Some high-security homes in the 1990s installed invisible laser beams across doorways and hallways. One would-be thief accidentally tripped all beams, setting off a symphony of alarms and strobe lights before escaping empty-handed.

   Intruder – Here are some fun and surprising facts about the intruder alarm industry (a.k.a. burglar alarms, security alarms):

   1. The first patent was in 1853
      1. Augustus Russell Pope, a Boston inventor, patented the first electromagnetic burglar alarm. It rang a bell when a circuit was broken by opening a door or window.
   2. A “burglar alarm tycoon” was born
      1. Edwin Holmes bought Pope’s invention in 1857, commercialised it, and created the first burglar alarm company. He later wired alarms to telegraph lines, an early version of remote monitoring.
   3. Cats caused chaos
      1. Early motion detectors weren’t pet-friendly. Cats and dogs often set them off, which led to the development of “pet-immune sensors” that ignore small animals under a certain weight.
   4. Intruder alarms go way beyond homes
      1. They protect banks, museums, warehouses, prisons, and even rare wine cellars. In fact, the Mona Lisa has been under alarm protection since the 1910s.
   5. The industry is worth tens of billions
      1. Globally, the intruder alarm market is massive and growing fast, especially with smart homes, wireless tech, and IoT-connected sensors.
   6. Fake alarms are a real problem
      1. Just like with fire alarms, false burglar alarms are a huge issue, studies show that 90–95% of police responses are triggered by false alarms (often user error, pets, or faulty sensors).
   7. Alarms talk to smart homes now
      1. Modern systems integrate with Alexa, Google Home, and even smart locks, turning a simple burglar alarm into a full home automation hub.
   8. Laser beams and microwaves
      1. Intruder detection isn’t just about door contacts, there are systems that use infrared beams, microwave sensors, seismic sensors, and even vibration detectors on fences.
   9. The “panic button” is standard
      1. Many monitored alarm systems include a hidden panic button (wired or wireless) that silently notifies security or police, used in banks, jewelry stores, and even schools.
   10. From wires to wireless
       1. Traditional alarms required drilling holes and running wires everywhere. Now, most modern systems use encrypted wireless signals, making installation easier (and harder to tamper with).

   Our team aims to deliver expert customer care, from site survey to completion through to ongoing maintenance. Developing a lasting relationship with a partner you can trust to protect you and your premises whilst ensuring your businesses and organisations are fully compliant to the latest legal requirements. We are CHAS accredited, BAFE registered and, SSAIB certificated with BS EN ISO 9001:2015 & Construction Line approved, so your organisation can be assured that all our fire, security and safety equipment is designed, supplied, installed and maintained in accordance with the latest British Standards.

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