College student pulls their dorm fire alarm at 4 AM after smelling smoke, RA is angry because they exposed that she skipped her night shift: ‘She said I got her in trouble for nothing’

Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."

Nov 18, 2025 2:00 PM EST

If you're in danger, it's in your best interest to do what you've been taught, depending on which crises you find yourself in.

If you falter and hesitate, you might put your health and the well-being of those around you at risk as a result. We are told from a young age what to do in case of emergency: duck and cover, stop, drop, and roll, and the like. When it comes time to execute the actions from the Safety 101playbook, do you do it? Or, do you worry about the much smaller repercussions and risk failing yourself and others?

That's a lot to think about. The college student you'll read about in the story below refused to hesitate when they began smelling something smoky at 4 AM in their college dormitory. At first, they tried to write off the scent, but soon couldn't avoid it because they began feeling physical negative effects from the smell, combined with the possible microscopic debris that smoke carries.

So, they did what any responsible adult would do and pulled the alarm. Their residential assistant wasn't too keen on that, as they skipped their shift that night to get some shut-eye…

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via حامد طه for Unsplash
If you've ever been in an unsafe fire situation, you likely already know the feeling of impending doom once you realize you might be in real danger. What's scarier is if nobody else around you acknowledges the potential hazard, and you're left to your own devices.
This college student refused to become a statistic. Even though you'll read about how it was a false alarm, you're privy to the wisdom that is fire safety. The RA is just mad she was caught…
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"AITAH for pulling the fire alarm at 4 AM and getting my RA in trouble ‘for nothing’?"

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via Andrej Lišakov For Unsplash+

_{Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.}
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