Igniterroremophobia

Igniterroremophobia (from Latin igni terroremo meaning "fire alarm" and Greek phobos meaning "fear") is the fear of fire alarm. This phobia is usually experienced by schoolchildren, who is afraid that fire alarm suddenly goes off while in school.

People suffering fire alarm phobia would usually try to avoid going to school, but they know they have to. Schoolgoers would cover their ears while in classrooms, but it would lose attention to teachers. Kids would be temporarily relieved of fear when being outside, either for recess or for gym. Some schoolchildren may prefer to do homeschooling to eliminate all odds of hearing fire alarm go off.

If a schoolkid suffering from phobia hears from teachers or announcers that it will be a fire drill, then a schoolkid would want to run outside before fire alarm goes off, and if fire alarm goes off, he/she would panic, scream, and cover their ears while fleeing to outside.

If a schoolchild is suffering igniterroremophobia, teachers should notify parents about that behavioral problem. Then teachers and parents would help a child try to combat fear by telling sufferer that fire alarms are important safety tools, and that fire drill is an educational skill about evacuating from the building in case of a real fire. Have a child do a fake fire drill at home, and then a parent should test fire alarm with a child until that child does not get scared. If these conductions go well, then a child would be less afraid about fire alarm at school. If that test doesn't work, then a sufferer should professional therapists.

It is not just school that a person fears about fire alarm, but also many other public places where fire alarms are deployed, such as stores or restaurants. Igniterroremophobes may avoid going to any indoor public places as well. So due to effect of that phobia, igniterroremophobes may lead to agoraphobia, or fear of leaving home.

External link

 * Fighting Fear of Fire Alarms