I worked at a company where dogs and cats were welcome every day. We rarely had people bringing in kitties, but we had dogs everywhere. It was wonderful. When any of us had a bad day, we had dog therapy. Little pugs, laughing retrievers, ball-obsessed mutts. It relieved the stress and made the workplace fun.
Then we had a phone glitch.
Our phone system had developed random static and many dropped calls. After repeated efforts by the maintenance group (people in toolbelts - Oh, yeah, heh!) to remedy this problem, the phone company was brought in.
Turns out that the pet dander and microhairs had gotten into the phone system. The only solution was to blow the detrius out. A memo went to all employees: The phone company would be blowing dust out of the system, and all employees should cover their handsets with a plastic bag to avoid exposure.
Some employees did not comply, and that set off the silent alarms. Some questioned whether or not to evacuate. It all worked out ok, but the lesson learned is that we should all leave the building when the silent alarms sound off.