With most domestic fires happening during the night, what happens if you're deaf or hard of hearing and you've taken out your hearing aids to go to sleep

During Deaf Awareness Week (May 1 - 7) West Sussex Fire and Rescue Information Unit will be touring the County making sure people receive this vital information. The campaign, in conjunction with RNID , the UK's leading charity for deaf and hard of hearing people, aims to raise awareness of special smoke alarm systems which could save the life of a person with hearing loss in the event of a fire.

Figures for West Sussex show that 144,000 people have total hearing loss, 15,000 severe loss, 37,000 moderate, and 92,000 mild.

"Statistics show that a third of people with a hearing loss say they would have difficulty waking up to a conventional alarm, especially considering most remove their hearing aids before they go to sleep each night," said Lionel Barnard , West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Community Safety. "Almost a quarter say they would struggle to know if the alarm went off during the day."

Roger Wood , Community Fire Safety Officer, said: "It's really important that people have working smoke alarms and more specifically, for people who are deaf or hard of hearing to have an alarm that meets their needs. We want them to know we can help by fitting their smoke alarms for them.

"This is particularly important for deaf or hard of hearing people living in rented accommodation, which may have a standard smoke alarm that is unsuitable for them."

Conventional smoke alarms work by emitting a loud noise when smoke is detected, providing the vital early warning of fire, and helping an escape. People who are deaf or hard of hearing need additional ways of making them aware the alarm has been activated, including vibrating pads and flashing strobe lights.

Deaf Awareness Week promotes the positive aspects of deafness and social inclusion and raises awareness of the huge range of local organisations that support deaf people and their family and friends. It is important that safety is not overlooked.

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.

For information on deafness and hearing loss please contact RNID on or textphone or visit www.rnid.org.uk

Pictured Top left are:
Elane Franks, Firefighter Steve Peck and Hayley Marie Franks who have recently had the system fitted into their Lancing home.

Notes to editors:

For more information on fire safety, visit www.firekills.gov.uk or contact Gavin Watson 2 / or Gemma Lewis on / For further information on RNID, contact Emma Reynolds , Media Relations Officer, RNID, Tel/Text or email