Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service Press Release

Safety Advice for hard of hearing

As part of Deaf Awareness Week (4th - 10th May), Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service is keen to reinforce important safety messages

The service, part of Gloucestershire County Council’s Community Safety Directorate, is already working to ensure every household in the county has a smoke alarm.

But for people who are hard of hearing, traditional smoke alarms may not be enough.

Normal alarms work by emitting a loud noise when smoke is detected.

But some can be fitted with vibrating pads and/or a flashing strobe light to attract the attention of people who cannot hear.

The pad should be placed under your pillow and the light on the bedside table.

When smoke is detected, the alarm will sound and set off the light and pad.

Acting Chief Fire Officer, Chris Griffin said: "We would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone of the importance of having a working smoke alarm in their home and more specifically, for people who are deaf or hard of hearing to have an alarm suitable for their particular circumstances.

“This is particularly important for deaf people living in rented accommodation, where the landlord may have installed smoke alarms that are not suitable for your circumstances and fail to meet your individual needs.

“We all have a part to play in creating safer communities, Deaf Awareness Week is an ideal opportunity for those who know anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing to make sure they have the most suitable alarm for their needs.”

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service has recently appointed three new Community Safety Advisers who are available to visit the homes of vulnerable people giving advice and practical support including home safety fire checks and fitting correct smoke alarms free of charge.

For further information or to book an appointment with one of our Community Safety Advisors please contact the Community Fire Safety Team on 01452 753333.

Ends

Notes for Editors

• There are estimated to be about 9million people in the UK with hearing loss, and this is set to rise as the number of people over 60 increases.
  
  
• Although many of these will have only small degrees of loss, RNID estimates that as many as one million adults within the general population (approximately 1 in every 50) may be unable to hear an ordinary smoke alarm on account of deafness.
  
  
• Of these most at risk, about 1 in 20 will rely on British Sign Language as their preferred means of communication.
  
  
• However, many more people may be at risk when they are not wearing hearing aids or when they are far from the alarm - especially if they are sleeping with the bedroom door closed.
  
  
• The word 'Deaf' (with a capital D) is used to denote an individual whose first language is British Sign Language (BSL), while the term 'D/deaf' - now widely recognised by care service professionals - refers to everyone with hearing loss: Deaf, deaf, deafened and hard-of-hearing.
  
  
• D/deaf blind people are now recognised as having a unique disability, the D/deaf distinction is still relevant in identifying whether they use BSL or spoken English as their preferred method of communication.

CONTACT:
Issued by Lisa Bonnell, Gloucestershire County Council's Media Team
Tel: 01452 425226 Email: lisa.bonnell@gloucestershire.gov.uk

6 May 2009