Smoke alarms are known to give people the greatest chance of surviving a house fire, even for those with a hearing impairment.
Smoke alarms are known to give people the greatest chance of surviving a house fire, even for those with a hearing impairment.
A specialised smoke alarm is exists for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The main body of the unit looks like a normal smoke alarm on your ceiling. The other parts are a strobe light and vibrating pad for your bed that are activated by the smoke alarm.
The husband of a CFA volunteer from Selby, Greg Milnes is hearing impaired and has had one of the specialised smoke alarms in his house for over a decade.
“The main unit on the roof sends a signal to the other unit in your bedroom. If there is a fire, the strobe light starts flashing and it’s like a disco in your room,” Mr Milnes said.
“I have the vibrating pad hanging on the bedhead and when it vibrates it makes an almighty racket!”
Mr Miles said a lot of people would have a normal smoke alarm in a living area of their home and if they were hearing impaired they wouldn’t hear it.
“People who are living by themselves doing all the cooking could get confused and leave things on the stove. If you have this whiz bang smoke alarm it can only help!”
Mr Miles also stated often people aren’t wearing their hearing aid while they sleep, so it’s very important for them to look into this particular device and ask more about it.
CFA recommends smoke alarms should be located in every bedroom and living area, and should be interconnected.
The smell of smoke will not wake you up, so the location of a smoke alarm can save your life.
CFA data for the past 10 years shows 25 per cent of all fires that resulted in death or serious injury started in bedrooms.
Only working smoke alarms save lives.
For more information about the specialised smoke alarms, go to the Vicdeaf Smoke Alarm Subsidy webpage.