What happens if there is a fire in your home, dorm, hotel room or workplace? If the alarm sounds, will you be alerted? Here is life-saving information.
Many of us remember reading several months ago about a horrible incident where 27 young deaf children in Russia perished in a fire. They died before they could be warned by the hearing attendants rushing from room to room trying to wake the children up. There was no other way that these children could be alerted about the fire raging in their poorly wired building.
Fortunately, this is not a likely scenario in schools for deaf children in the United States. With building codes typically requiring high standards for electrical wiring, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, we expect all schools for deaf students to have visual smoke alarms located in strategic locations, including bathrooms and lounge areas, which is something that we can all be grateful for.
But what about adults with hearing loss in their homes, dormitories, hotel or motel rooms, or workplaces? What happens if there is a fire in one of these locations and the person with a hearing loss simply does not hear the audible alarm? Then the person's life is in jeopardy. This is not, unfortunately, a remote possibility; we know of instances where people with hearing loss may have died in fires because they could not be alerted by the existing alarm system.
In fact, we had a hint of such a possibility at the SHHH Convention in Boston several years ago. Coming down into the lobby area one morning, many of us were surprised to learn that there had been a fire alarm in the hotel late the evening before, when we were already in bed (with our hearing aids on the bedside table). Fortunately - very fortunately - it was a false alarm, but what if it had not been? Four or five hundred of us were asleep in our beds when the fire alarm sounded.
In this article, we're going to discuss various types of smoke alarms, how they can be deployed in the most important settings (single family homes, multi-family dwellings, large apartment building, and lodging facilities) and briefly refer to some of the relevant governmental regulations that are applicable.
The overriding theme of this article is the protection of people with hearing loss. It is imperative that in every location where such people find themselves, that there be an accessible alarm available to alert them about the existence of a fire. Sometimes the responsibility for installing a smoke detector rests with the person with a hearing loss; sometimes it is the responsibility of hotel, motel, apartment or building managers to provide these devices.
Still, no matter who is legally responsible for ensuring a safe environment, it is our lives that are at stake. We are the ones with the most to lose and we must, therefore, take the lead in protecting ourselves. This is not an issue where passivity is acceptable. When in doubt about the adequacy of a fire alarm system, we strongly urge people to assert themselves.
Audible Smoke Alarms
It used to be that the only type of smoke alarm available was the kind that emitted a high-pitched sound when smoke was detected. This is still the most common type of smoke detector installed in most sites in this country. For most people with hearing loss, however, the efficacy of audible smoke detectors ranges from the useless to the barely passable. For deaf people, audible alarms are self-evidently inappropriate. In their case, we know that other provisions must be made.
The issue is somewhat different for hard of hearing people who, by definition, can hear some sounds. Because they can hear, it is easy for society to overlook the real obstacles that they face. The problem, for them, is twofold. First, the loudness level of the sound emitted by smoke alarms is not, for many of them, sufficiently loud to gain their attention (particularly when sleeping). Second, the pitch of the sound, in most audible smoke detectors, is usually located at precisely those points where the majority of hard of hearing people display their greatest degree of hearing loss, that is at the higher frequencies.
According to our information, the frequency of the audible component of one widely-used audible smoke alarm is about 3,100 Hz and may either be wavering or steady ("wavering" is a more salient stimulus). The intensity level is 90 dB, measured ten feet from the device itself. Other fire alarm manufacturers use similar pitch and loudness levels (i.e. 2500 Hz and 85 dB, measured at somewhat different locations relative to the device). Since, however, the actual loudness (intensity) level weakens as the distance from the device increases, at a person's actual location therefore, (let's say in bed), the loudness level may be significantly less than the given figures. In other words, both of these components of audible alarms - frequency and intensity - are problematic for people with hearing loss.
Not only do most people with hearing loss display their greatest decrement in hearing acuity at the higher frequencies, but high-frequency sounds in general are much more directional than lower frequency sounds. Because of the smaller wavelength of high-frequency signals, the sound waves do not bend around corners as effectively as do lower frequencies; their loudness level decreases as they curve around corners (from a hallway angling into a bedroom, for example). Add anywhere from a mild to a profound hearing loss, and people with a hearing loss already have at least two strikes against them. We don't mean to be facetious - this is too serious a matter - when we say that it is not a good idea to wait for a fire to supply the third strike! Nobody wants to "strike out" when it comes to surviving a fire.
In 1995, the SHHH Technical Committee (Jack O'Keeffe, chair) submitted recommendations to the federal ADA Accessibility Guidelines Advisory Committee during a period when new fire alarm regulations were being developed. SHHH recommended that the energy concentration of audible alarms be concentrated in the low frequencies (sweeping between 200 and 600 Hz) at an intensity level between 85 dB minimum and 120 dB maximum, exceeding prevailing sound level in the room by at least 15 dB.
These proposals were not accepted, perhaps because designing alarms to emit sounds at these frequencies appeared technically difficult. There's no question, however, but that these recommendations would have made "audible" alarms really more audible for people with hearing loss.
But our efforts were not completely in vain. Thanks in part to the advocacy efforts of SHHH and the National Association of the Deaf, visual alarms are required in many kinds of facilities (like in new or modified places of public accommodation, government buildings, etc.). It's important to note, though, that there are a significant number of hard of hearing people with severe or complete visual impairment, so we would still recommend that fire alarms be more audible at the low frequencies.
There is one smoke detector that we have located that does provide for low-frequency tone pulses at 500 Hz as well as at 2,500 Hz, the Loudenlowİ Smoke Alarm . The loudness level is given as 85 dB, but the point where the measures are made is not specified in the web-site. At any rate, we would recommend exploring whether other types of smoke alarms will be more effective in alerting the specific individual with hearing loss, particularly when asleep.
Visual/Auditory Smoke Alarms
Several companies now make visual/auditory smoke detectors specifically designed for people with hearing loss and this is clearly a step in the right direction. When smoke is detected, the unit emits both an auditory and a strobe alert. The audible aspects are, as we have described above, not really adequate. During the alarm period, however, the strobe light will also flash at 177 candelas - a standard that has been proven to wake up most people with hearing loss. It's hard to give a verbal description of this visual exposure, but we expect this would be about what one would experience at some discos. The units are powered by the facility's electrical system. There are a number of variations on this basic visual scheme, but this appears to be the industry standard.
Testing has indicated that flash rates between one and three flashes per second successfully alerted subjects with hearing impairments. The three flashes per second rate appeared to be somewhat more effective. Flash rates slower than one flash per second were adjudged ineffective.
ADAAG requires flash rates within the 1 to 3 flash per second range. For more information see the Access Board's Technical Bulletin: Visual Alarms.
It's important to make a distinction between these alarms with strobe lights and smoke alarms that merely provide illumination when activated; the latter are not designed to wake people up (although they may).
Visual alarms will work well provided a person is in a position to see the strobe light (no door between the light and the person, no pillow or mask over one's eyes, etc.) and if the fire has not destroyed the building's electrical system. Most visual/auditory systems do provide a back-up battery in the event of a power outage, but due to the power requirements of the strobe light, the battery often operates only the audible component and thus would not be too useful for people with hearing loss. But even when alerts operate in both visual and auditory modes, there are some people who are such heavy sleepers that the combination of a visual and auditory alarm may still be insufficient to wake them up.
Visual/Tactile Systems
For these people, alerting systems are available whereby the alerting signals provide visual and/or vibratory sensations. These multi-alert systems are able to incorporate transmissions from different types of compatible smoke alarm equipment and the smoke alarm transmitters can be placed in disparate locations as needed. The receivers, either integrated with or coupled with an alerting mechanism, can be located in any area where a person may fall asleep or in any other location where the person with a hearing loss is likely to spend a great deal of time. (The alerting systems can be used with other equipment to alert the user to other sounds like doorbells or telephone rings.) There is no physical limit to the number of receivers that may be used with these systems. When a receiver picks up the transmission, it can in turn activate a strobe light or a bed vibrator; there are also vibrating pagers available with wireless systems. Note that the bed vibrator needs to be placed under the mattress of the bed, not under a pillow. When placed under a pillow, the vibrator may slip away during the night or, in any event, make for a very lumpy pillow!
Ordinarily, the user must select either the visual or the vibratory alert. In the usual receiver, both cannot be simultaneously activated. Since most of us would know which type of stimulus we are most sensitive too, this may not be much of a practical problem. However, for a slightly additional cost, the Silent Call company does make a receiver that can simultaneously trigger both the strobe light and the vibrator. Additionally, one could use one type of alarm while sleeping (either the light, vibration, or both) and the strobe with other receivers when in other locations (such as when watching TV).
As in the case of the integrated visual~ auditory alarm, these devices will not normally operate by themselves when there is a power outage. Since a fire may destroy the electrical system very early in its course (indeed, an electrical system may actually be the cause of a fire), it is a good idea to have a power back-up in such instances.
Fortunately, such devices, called Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), are available at a reasonable cost. It is basically a box that contains a rechargeable battery and a DC to AC inverter. The UPS plugs into a wall socket, and the alarm system, in turn, is plugged into the UPS. In ordinary circumstances, the AC current in the building powers the smoke detector. In the event of a power outage, the battery in the UPS switches on automatically and continues to power the visual or vibratory alarm signal, at least long enough to rouse the person with a hearing loss. It's a nice safeguard and one that we would recommend that people consider.
Do check with the manufacturer of the alerting system for recommendations of compatible UPSes powerful enough to drive the system. (Before the end of 2003, Silent Call plans to incorporate battery back-up in a redesigned Sidekick receiver, which would power both the strobe alert and the optional bed vibrator.)
Location, Location, Location
When setting up a smoke alarm, two factors must be considered. The first is the necessity to install the smoke detector(s) in a location(s) where it can receive the earliest indications of a fire. The other consideration is, once the smoke detector is activated, that the resulting alerting mode be sufficiently salient to alert the occupants about the possibility of a fire. Ensuring that both of these factors are as optimal as possible requires some thought. The people involved, the nature of the family unit, and the topography of the facility must all be considered.
Single-FamiIy Homes
The purchase and placement of smoke detectors in a private home is the responsibility of the occupant. New construction will invoke local building codes, but these rarely involve anything more than the most rudimentary of smoke detectors (usually one that emits only an audible signal). For people with hearing loss who do not have a set of "normal ears" living with them (a normal hearing spouse or normal hearing older children), it is particularly essential that an accessible smoke alarm system be installed, with multiple sensors and alerts in strategic locations around the house. Ideally, the system would be supervised (letting you know if there is a malfunction anywhere), provide you early notification of a fire anywhere in the building, and approved by an independent testing organization such as Underwriters Laboratory.
The most crucial locations for receiving notification are the bedroom and any other area where the person with hearing loss may fall asleep. (Approximately half of all fire deaths in private residences occur in lounge areas, where many people fall asleep.) In other rooms, the person is (or should be) wearing his or her hearing device (hearing aids or cochlear implants) and is also more likely to be visually aware of the environment.
Sleeping areas, on the other hand, are where we are least alert and without our prosthetic "ears." It is at this time that people with hearing loss need to be signaled as early as possible about the possibility of a fire. For people living in small single-story structures, with more than one way of exiting the sleeping area, a visual/audible smoke detector may be appropriate, provided they verify that an intense strobe light is sufficient to alert them. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions for installing the unit as these have taken into account how smoke behaves. Make sure the unit is installed in a way that is visible to you.
In many homes and for many people, however, the single combination sensor and alarm will not be sufficient. If the bedroom is located on the third floor of a large Victorian house, for example, the lower floors may be engulfed in flames before the detector on the third floor is activated. Early warning of fire is critical. In multi-story or large residences, we would advise consultation with your local fire department for specific recommendations about the placement of interconnected sensors and alerts. Particularly if you verify that strobe lights would wake you up, you may want to consider installing a hard-wired, supervised, interconnected fire alarm system with strobe and auditory alerts and battery-back up. Consult with a local fire alarm company about installing such a system.
Multi-Family Dwellings
This is where the situation gets a little murky. In newly-constructed apartment buildings or multi-family dwellings, wiring must be included in all apartments to which a number of smoke detectors can be attached. They must be interconnected so that when smoke activates any one of the detectors, all of the alarms sound off These requirements are usually part of local building codes. However, the type of alarm is not specified in existing multi-family dwellings. These may range from a house with three or four family units to those containing hundreds of apartments. Legally, the owners may meet the requirements of the building regulations simply by installing conventional audible smoke alarms in the apartments and other locations in the building.
But, as we've already emphasized, the current crop of audible alarms is not satisfactory for many people with hearing loss. For the person with a hearing loss, particularly one who lives alone, some sort of visual or vibratory alarm can be an essential safety feature.
In older multi-family dwellings, an occupant has several options. Many landlords will, upon request or when required by local or national regulations, substitute an existing audible alarm for a visual system. In those apartments where landlords are not required or refuse to retrofit a more suitable alarm system, then the occupant often has the option to make this change.
However, a qualified electrician or fire alarm technician will be needed to connect the existing audible alarm to a more appropriate visual/vibratory alarm(s) necessary for people with hearing loss. If this is not possible, the occupant would not receive the benefits of early notification by the central fire alarm system, which would be particularly dangerous if living in an apartment beyond the reach of the ladders of fire trucks.
An excellent source of advice about one's personal circumstances can be smoke detector manufacturers, Certainly they have a vested interest in recommending their products but what they say often makes a lot of sense and is certainly worth listening to. What people with hearing loss need to consider is the ultimate purpose of any smoke detector: will the alarm system alert them in the event of a fire?
Privately-Operated Lodging Facilities
Lodging facilities, such as hotels and motels that date before January 1993, present a real problem. In ordinary circumstances, these facilities are not required to retrofit their guest rooms with permanently installed visual fire alarms. Older lodging facilities are required to provide auxiliary aids for communication access to people who ask for them. These usually contain some kind of visual smoke detector. These are plugged into a wall socket and often inappropriately placed on some temporary pedestal (like the top of the TV set) instead of within the specifications set forth by the manufacturer.
While these portable alarms may provide the room's occupant with some psychological benefit, they are unlikely to provide early warning in the event of a fire, unless the fire starts in that or some immediately adjacent room. These temporary expedients are not wired into the facility's fire alarm system and thus if a fire begins elsewhere in the hotel, only the installed audible alarm will be activated. If staying in an older facility which cannot provide you a room with an installed visual alarm, we recommend specifying that your room should be as close to the ground level as possible.
Places of public accommodation constructed or significantly renovated after January 1993 are required to equip at least eight percent of their first 100 rooms with visual fire alarms connected to the central fire alarm system. The Department of Justice has stated that the failure to follow this requirement is a common ADA problem:
"Accessible guestrooms and suites (and an additional number of rooms specifically for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing) are not equipped with visual alarms and other visual notification devices."We encourage people with hearing loss to ask for a room fully accessible to hard of hearing and deaf people rather than the universally accessible room (designed for all people with disabilities), although the hotel may have chosen to make all such rooms universally accessible. If the hotel was constructed or significantly altered after January 1993 and does not have rooms with installed visual fire alarms, this appears to be a violation of the letter and spirit of the law; but without continuing complaints, lawsuits, and advocacy efforts, it's not likely that the situation will improve.
Publicly Funded Facilities
State or local government-funded facilities; i.e., dormitories operated by state universities, county-operated residential facilities, and most residential schools for deaf and hard of hearing children are covered by Title II of the ADA. As we understand the applicable guidelines, these types of locations are required to provide alarm systems suitable for residents with hearing loss unless an "undue burden" case can be made and supported. (Federally-funded facilities are required to be accessible under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.)
The best advice we can offer, in any situation where people with hearing loss find themselves in a living situation that does not provide an adequate fire alarm system, is for them to take an assertive stance. We would recommend checking with the facility managers in these types of places and soliciting help from any available source (housing inspectors in various locales, public interest lawyers, etc.). The overriding principle, as we noted above, is safety.
If the person with a hearing loss, the one most intimately involved, does not take the lead in this, it is unlikely that anybody else will.
Other Methods of Being Alerted to Fire
In lodging or residential facilities that do not provide visual alarms tied to the central system, we would emphasize the importance of being alerted effectively to emergencies via other means. Ensure that you can be notified effectively if someone is at your door or if someone is calling you. Such alerting devices are available through vendors of hearing assistive devices. Many hotels provide visual door-knock alerts, but these may not be directly visible from the bed; wireless doorbells affixed to metal that fits around the door are available which can trigger an accessible alert inside the room. Of course, it is imperative that all the desk clerks in a hotel be informed that in the event of a fire alarm, they must be sure to take personal action to notify the individual with the hearing loss of the fire. Not a great solution, but something.
Another potential strategy for being alerted to an audible smoke alarm would be to use an accessible alerting system with a transmitting sound monitor attuned to the sound of the audible alarm, although there is no such sound monitor currently advertised or formally approved for this purpose. Sound monitors typically use a microphone which can be adjusted to different levels of sensitivity. If placed as close as possible to an audible alarm system and then tested with the alarm, the sensitivity of the monitor could be adjusted to just above the lowest effective point possible (to reduce the chances of false alarms). The transmission from the sound monitor would then be delivered to receivers that activate visual and/or vibratory signals.
It would be important to verify that the audible alarm does in fact trigger the sound monitor and then the alerting system. Individuals who choose to implement this strategy would need to do so at their own risk if the use of the sound monitor for this purpose is not approved by the manufacturer, and to take the necessary steps to maintain the system in working order (such as testing the system on a regular, frequent basis, and replacing any batteries before they fail).
This strategy has the potential of automatically and independently alerting the person with hearing loss to sounds from the building fire alarm system when installed visual alarms are not available, providing earlier notification than that provided by a portable fire alarm system.
Some Concluding Thoughts
In the last ten years or so, various governmental agencies (the Access Board) and other groups (the National Fire Protection Agency and the American National Standards Institute) have revised older documents and developed newer and more elaborate fire alarm regulations for all our citizens. Included in these regulations are those that are specifically aimed at providing appropriate warning systems for people with hearing loss. The intentions are clearly good and honorable. A lot of intelligent and caring people have worked on these documents. But words written on a document, no matter how well intentioned, are not sufficient to warn a hard of hearing or deaf person about a fire. Something more physical is needed and that something is a smoke detector system, strategically placed, and emitting an appropriate alerting stimulus. In places where these regulations do not apply, like in most private homes, the solution is in the hands of the person most involved, the person with a hearing loss who resides in that house. In more public places, in facilities that fall under the aegis of one or more local or national regulations, compliance with the regulatory requirements will help considerably (such as in the newest places of accommodation). But even here, gaps in the regulations and instances of deliberate or unintentional non-compliance require that pople with hearing loss be vigilant and assertive.
In the final analysis, it is up to us to ensure that we receive a timely warning in the event of a fire.
This article is supported, in part, by GRANT #H133E980010 from the U.S. Department of Education, NIDRR, to the Lexington Center.
Mark Ross, Ph.D., is an associate at the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) at the Lexington Conter, New York.
Dana Mulvany, M.S.W., is the Hearing Assistive Technology coordinator at SHHH, Bethesda, Maryland.
Mention of products or companies does not indicate SHHH endorsement, nor should exclusion suggest disapproval. Since everyone's communication problems and needs vary, SHHH suggests consulting with your hearing health professional.