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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:

bulletshopping for alerting devices for people with hearing loss
bulletgeneral stores for people with hearing loss

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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Study Results of Smoke Alarm Effectiveness

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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Horseradish Smell Smoke Alarm Effective for People with Hearing Loss

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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Inventor connects smoke detector, alarm clock

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