Sprinkler System Activated

A telephone caller, posing as a representative of a fire alarm company, convinced employees of a Comfort Suites Hotel to activate the sprinkler system, which resulted in thousands of dollars worth of damage. (tricities.com)

This type of prank is definitely a recurring theme (see the rectal exam prank call, strip-search prank call, and satellite medical exam call), but I'm not sure what to call it. Maybe the "manipulative phone call prank," though that's not very catchy.

Pranks

Posted on Fri Jun 12, 2009


Comments

How did they set off the sprinkler system? Contrary to what you see in the movies, the only heads that flow water are those that open due to heat. The only type of systems thata flow when opening a valve, or pulling a switch are special "Deluge" type systems, and you would never see one in a hotel.

Something is fishy with this whole story.

Mo
Posted by mmarvi  on  Fri Jun 12, 2009  at  03:54 PM
dial-up wind-up

telephish

phrank

phauthority (phone-false-authority)

Bavarian fire-drill (see urbandictionary.com)

cullible (callable+gullible)

(yes, bad)
Posted by Splarka  on  Fri Jun 12, 2009  at  04:41 PM
I'd just call it prank calling a moron.
Posted by yoyogo  on  Fri Jun 12, 2009  at  09:11 PM
mmarvi is right. I used to be in this line of business, so I know. You cannot just set off a hotel sprinkler system, unless you set off one sprinkler head either by heating it, melting the lead link that caps off the head, or by wacking the thing, getting the same result. Even then, it's only one head set off, not the whole system. There are dump/deluge systems over restaurant fryers or grills, over gas pumps (in some states) or in computer operations centers, filling the roon with halon-type gas. I've seen this in movies, too, where one head goes off and then every sprinkler head in the joint lets loose. Nope, sorry wrong incorrect. You're welcome
Posted by Hairy Houdini  on  Mon Jun 15, 2009  at  03:57 PM
Baytown fast-food manager tricked into pulling alarm:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/breaking/6516952.html

This one with foamy goodness.

(2nd attempt, didn't show?)
Posted by Splarka  on  Tue Jul 07, 2009  at  11:24 PM
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