How to use the online alarm clock
Preparing ahead for a shift at a London fire station makes a 3:38 am alarm easier to fit into the night. It leaves 22 minutes before 4:00 am, enough time to get dressed, gather your kit and leave without turning the start of the shift into a rush. The alarm can mark the point when preparation needs to move from planning to action.
Because the alarm runs in the browser, closing this page or letting the phone or computer sleep means it will not sound, which could leave the fire-station shift without its planned wake-up cue. Keeping the page open and the screen active allows the timer to continue towards 3:38 am. The selected time should remain visible, and the sound level can be checked beforehand rather than during the last few minutes before leaving.
With a night alarm set for 3:38 am, the useful rest is the sleep that comes before it. Laying out clothes, keys and anything needed for the station before going to bed removes small decisions from the wake-up period. A separate alarm on the phone or clock also provides sensible cover, so there is less reason to keep checking the time and the remaining sleep can stay undisturbed.
Common questions
Can I change the sound?
Yes, there is a short list of tones to pick from before you press Start. Softer sounds are easy to sleep through, so a firmer bell tends to be the safer choice for anything early in the morning.
Will it still be right when the clocks change?
Yes. It reads your device's local clock, so the move between GMT and BST at the end of March and October is picked up automatically, as long as the computer's date, time and time zone are set correctly.
Can I use this on a phone?
It works in a mobile browser, but phones lock the screen and suspend background tabs far more readily than a laptop does, which can stop the alarm sounding. For anything important, a desktop or a plugged-in laptop is the steadier option.
Does the alarm still work if I close the tab?
No. Everything runs inside this page, so closing the tab — or quitting the browser altogether — ends the countdown there and then. Leaving it open in the background is all it asks, and switching to another tab makes no difference.
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