fire alarms

Noun

fire alarm (plural fire alarms)

1. An electromechanical or electronic bell, klaxon, chime, horn, speaker, strobe light or other device which warns people in a building etc. of a possible fire or other condition requiring evacuation.
   • Should the automatic fire alarm sound, the gas from the [carbon dioxide] bottles may be released in the engine compartment by operating a pull handle in the driver's cab.1958 June, “Main-Line Diesel-Electric Locomotives for the Eastern Region”, in Railway Magazine, page 395
2. The sound or other warning made by a fire alarm.
3. An emergency response to a fire by the fire department with manpower and equipment.
   • A four fire-alarm fire ripped through a row of 2.5 story frame dwellings during the early morning hours