Smoke alarm awareness campaign
Fire crews in the West Sussex area are running a campaign to raise awareness amongst the deaf and hard of hearing during National Deaf Awareness Week to ensure adequate smoke alarms are installed in homes.
It is thought that around one million adults in the UK have hearing problems which prevent them from hearing regular household smoke alarm.
A spokesperson for the fire service said: “British Standard BS5446-3:2005 specifies smoke alarm kits for deaf and hard of hearing people. Products made to this standard give deaf people assurance of quality smoke alarms, designed to meet their needs.”
Adrian Carter, Safer communities deputy manager, said: “It is vital people who are deaf or hard of hearing ensure they have the right smoke alarm technology in their home to protect them – and that they test them weekly, to make sure they work. A specialist alarm system provides valuable time to escape from a house fire. Without it, lives could be lost.”