Stupid Fire Trucks — A Temporary or Permanent Spike?

[Chaz]

I was enjoying lunch last Saturday on a restaurant patio when a fire truck parked literally 40 feet from me and everyone else and turned on its sirens full blast. My ears were exposed a good 10 secs while it was slowly pulling away. My left ear volume has increase by 3 fold, the right ear seems unaffected.

Anyone think this is a spike? Or was permanent damage done?

 

[Chaz]

Anyone have a similar experience?

 

[Michelle G]

I was enjoying lunch last Saturday on a restaurant patio when a fire truck parked literally 40 feet from me and everyone else and turned on its sirens full blast. My ears were exposed a good 10 secs while it was slowly pulling away. My left ear volume has increase by 3 fold, the right ear seems unaffected.

Anyone think this is a spike? Or was permanent damage done?

I asked my ent a similar question and all I got was "you never know when there is going to be a loud noise in the world so I cannot help you prevent it". I have not had this experience but my school has frequent fire drills/false alarms. They are EXTREMELY loud and they don't turn off until everyone is outside on the field (2,100 kids). I bring ear plugs to school, but I don't have time to put them in as we rush out the classroom. Even so, I know those few seconds of loud noise would hurt me as I am now very sensitive to noise due to my noise induced tinnitus. My ent said,"spikes from loud noises that don't last too long and aren't very close to your ear shouldn't be permanent, but nothing is impossible". Not sure what to make of that, but apparently he's the best ent in my hospital. I wish you luck and my prayers are with you.

 

[Chaz]

I asked my ent a similar question and all I got was "you never know when there is going to be a loud noise in the world so I cannot help you prevent it". I have not had this experience but my school has frequent fire drills/false alarms. They are EXTREMELY loud and they don't turn off until everyone is outside on the field (2,100 kids). I bring ear plugs to school, but I don't have time to put them in as we rush out the classroom. Even so, I know those few seconds of loud noise would hurt me as I am now very sensitive to noise due to my noise induced tinnitus. My ent said,"spikes from loud noises that don't last too long and aren't very close to your ear shouldn't be permanent, but nothing is impossible". Not sure what to make of that, but apparently he's the best ent in my hospital. I wish you luck and my prayers are with you.

Thank you Michelle, I appreciate prayers. I really hope it goes back to normal.

 

[Bobby B]

In such cases you still can cover your ears with your hands so that the peak exposure time decreases to only 2 or 3 seconds instead of 10 - remembers that noise damage is also how long the exposure lasts

 

[Bill Bauer]

Bring earplugs and/or Peltor earmuffs with you everywhere you go.

To answer your question, check out the threads on
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/search/1618323/?q=siren&o=relevance&c[title_only]=1

 

[DT_N_DA_CLUB]

It's kind of ironic when most of us were kids we loved hearing the fire engines siren now we dread it. I was recently exposed to the stupid emergency siren at 12 PM. I was with my sister I didn't realize there was a siren somewhere close. I was fine, then a week later i broke a glass in the sink as it slammed against a plate. I don't think a single quick loud noise exposure made my tinnitus permenately worse. But those quick noise exposures definately spiked my tinnitus even when i wasn't panicking.

 

[TuneOut]

Michelle, I'd put those earplugs in the second the alarm starts. Keep them within easy reach at all times. Wetting your finger with spit and rubbing on the plugs before squishing them will help them go in more easily. It sounds weird but I do it alot.

 

[Engineer]

Protect your ears, but don't beat
Yourself up over sirens. When I walk in he city, I always plug my ears with my fingers if an ambulance goes by. It's really doubtful that you sustained any significant hearing loss from a siren going by. I suffer like you, this condition plays with your senses and emotions like a rollercoaster. Best wishes for peaces and habituation . Trebor