The roar of fire trucks up Main Street late this morning and into the early afternoon proved to be good news for one Bridgeport business. A fire alarm that activated inside Walgreens located at the corner of Lodgeville Road and Main Street had a faulty detector, according to Bridgeport Fire Captain Phil Hart.

 

“The good news is that it was nothing,” said Hart.

 

Hart said those who believe change in temperature and winter weather cause the issues that frequently send full fire staff out due to the alarms are a bit off base. He said weather can cause issues with alarms, but generally not this time of the year.

 

“If it is weather related, it’s usually in the fall of the year,” said Hart. “What happens is that dust builds up in heating systems and when they kick on for the first time in the fall they produce an odor and a smell that is mistaken for a fire and we get calls for that.”

 

Often on social media sites, some residents complain that sending out so many units for every fire alarm call is “overkill.” Hart said that fire staff follow the same protocol regardless and don’t have the luxury of knowing if it’s nothing or an actual structure fire.

 

“We have to be proactive and send the units out right way. We can’t say it’s a typical fire alarm and send a pickup truck to a site to confirm whether it’s an actual fire,” said Hart. “What is helpful is that 911 usually contacts the establishment immediately so we know usually in route to the location whether the establishment believes it’s an actual fire so that helps us out, but we still go to confirm and make sure a scene is secure.”

 

Hart said 911 actually alerted the Bridgeport units that there was likely nothing wrong on their way to Walgreens. Once Bridgeport fire was able to confirm that, the units returned to the station.