Fire Safety for People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

By Rosemary

October is a month of celebrating Thanksgiving and handing out Halloween candy.  October 6-12 is also Fire Prevention Week. You may have adjusted your thermostat this October as the colder weather steadily makes itself known.  October is the beginning of the heating months, and we start using gas or electric heat to warm our homes.  These months are typically when there are more house fires.  While house fires are a danger to everyone, they can be even more dangerous for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing.

Make a Safety Plan

Fire prevention means making a fire safety plan:

• Practice your pre-planned fire drill at least twice a year.
• Identify two ways to get out of every room.
• Decide on a meeting place outside the home.

In addition to the plan, emergency alerting equipment needs to be a priority.

In fatal, preventable house fires, more than 1/3 of the homes didn’t have a working smoke detector.   When you are Deaf or hard of hearing, depending on a typical smoke or CO alarm is not safe, especially if you are sleeping.  A pillow or bed shaker is an effective device to wake and alert a non-hearing person to a fire emergency.  Some people like the combination of the bed shaker and a bright strobe light to wake them.

Here are some examples of easy-to-install, reliable signaling devices that are available to alert Deaf and hard of hearing people in an emergency.  These devices offer visual flashing lights, indicator icons, tactile bed shakers and adjustable audible alarms with volume and tone for specific hearing needs.

The HomeAware II system

The HomeAware II system has a Main Unit Hub that sits next to your bed and connects wirelessly to different devices like the Smoke/CO Sound Signaler, Baby Cry Signaler, and Doorbell. It also picks up the sound from your existing smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

When an alarm goes off, the Hub alerts you in five ways (you can choose which ones to use):

• Ultra-bright strobe light
• Scrolling text on the screen
• Optional bed shaker
• Sound alert
• Voice notifications

The HomeAware II can also connect to Wi-Fi through the HomeAware app and your smartphone via Bluetooth to notify you of incoming texts or calls. It has an analog phone line for alerts from your home phone and comes with a 1-year Sonic Alert Limited Warranty.

Silent Call Medallion System

The Silent Call Medallion™ system includes a Mini Receiver that sits beside your bed and flashes a strobe light with LED icons to show which transmitter has been activated. The Mini Receiver itself is completely silent, and you can connect an optional bed shaker, which can be placed under your mattress or pillow for added alerts.

Silent Call makes their own Medallion™ Series Smoke Detector with a built-in transmitter (comes with a 3-volt lithium battery) to alert you in case of smoke. When smoke is detected, the transmitter sends a signal to any Medallion™ Series Receiver and triggers an audible alert. The receivers then notify you with flashing lights or vibrations, giving you time to respond.

Silent Call also offers additional transmitters for carbon monoxide, doorbells, landline and cell phone calls, sounds like a baby crying or dogs barking, and door-window access points. All items come with a 5-year limited warranty from Silent Call.

Thanks to the generosity of the Campbell McLaurin Foundation, southern Albertans can get funding directly from Deaf & Hear Alberta for assistive safety equipment.

Please do not let the cost of assistive devices be a barrier to your safety!

Free demonstrations of any of the equipment available from Deaf & Hear Alberta are offered by booking a personal appointment. Contact equipment@deafandhearalberta.ca or make an appointment.