smoke alarms for people with hearing loss
Smoke Alarms save untold lives every year, because they awaken people
before a fire has spread enough to prevent their escape. They only work,
of course, if the people can perceive their warning signal. Audio smoke
alarms are useless for hearing impaired people, including those who are
hard of hearing, late deafened, and oral deaf; instead, people with
hearing loss rely on visual or vibrating smoke alarms.
If you would like more
information on smoke alarms, or are interested in purchasing one, see:
Here's a story about a woman named Mary Wallace,
whose inability to hear a fire alarm nearly cost her her life. She was
fortunate to have a hearing neighbor who got her out of her burning
apartment. She later got a vibrating fire alarm that is appropriate for
a person with hearing loss.
December 2007 - Study Results of Smoke Alarm
Effectiveness
March 2008 - Horseradish Smell Smoke Alarm Effective
for People with Hearing Loss
May 2008 - Inventor connects smoke detector, alarm
clock
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December 2007
I don't understand the lack of urgency over the issue
of smoke alarms and people with hearing loss. I don't think anyone
questions the notion that most current alarms do NOT do a good job of
waking people with hearing loss. Yet I see little concern over the issue
and little effort to change things.
Here's a good, clear presentation of the issue and what can be done to
improve existing systems. And it's presented at the layman level!
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March 2008
A new type of fire alarm in Japan has been
developed using the pungent smell of horseradish. The device is drawing
attention as a new way to warn people with hearing disabilities. Medical
equipment manufacturers have developed a technology to extract components
of the strong odor of horseradish, seal them inside a can and spray them
out. Shiga University of Medical Science Hospital cooperated with the
makers and carried out experiments to see if the horseradish smell can
wake up people from a deep sleep. Fourteen people, including those with
hearing disabilities, took part in the experiments. In the experiment, 13
out of the 14 subjects woke up in less than two minutes after the smell
reached their noses. The people with hearing disabilities were
particularly quick to wake up, with one person emerging from sleep in just
10 seconds. Assistant professor Makoto Imai at Shiga University of Medical
Science says the experiment was useful to ensure that the new device
allows those with hearing disabilities to escape during an emergency. The
makers intend to put the fire alarm on the market in two years.
Full Story
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May 2008
InnovAlarm's first target audience will be people
with high-frequency hearing loss, Colello said. High-frequency hearing
diminishes rapidly as people over the age of 60 get older, he said. "That
is roughly 35 million people in the U.S. today," he said. "We will reach
them through hearing loss retailers, hearing aid sellers including
professionals, TV retailers like QVC and other small venues." The company
should have its first product on the market in the first quarter of next
year, said Colello. The InnovAlarm technology detects the shrill,
high-frequency sounds made by smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and
delivers it to the bedside of users in deep, 520 hertz tones that will
wake the deepest sleepers, Albert said. Children, older adults and even
college age students are vulnerable. In fact, college age students who
sometimes go to sleep in an intoxicated state and can't hear
high-frequency fire detectors are a potential InnovAlarm market. Albert
cited the fire at a North Carolina resort last October that claimed the
lives of seven college students as an example.
Full Story
