Visual alarms use flashing or strobe lights to alert you to an emergency situation or other alert requirement in areas where noise levels are high. This can be particularly beneficial for a person who has deafness or hearing loss and is unable to hear a standard alarm.
Tactile emergency alarms vibrate to advise of an alert or emergency situation and are useful if you have both hearing and vision impairments.
Alarm or alert systems can pick up alerts such as; the doorbell or phone ringing, alert from reception for appointments, baby crying or fire alarm sounding and can be set up to include visual, vibrating or auditory alert signals. Paging systems can be customised using a range of transmitters and receivers or be multi-alert with multiple transmitters linked to one receiver. Some options for alert systems include:
- alert systems with a flashing lamp alert with different flashing configurations depending on the nature of the alert
- alert systems which transmit based on auditory signal or feedback received such as doorbell ringing or fire alarm sounding
- carbon monoxide detector with strobe light
- carbon monoxide detector with visual or tactile transmitter
- doorbells which are hard wired to the lighting system and either flash on or off when the doorbell rings
- multi-alert systems which can be customised with various transmitters and receivers to alert in preferred mode. Models are available that can be hard wired into the existing electrical system or be battery operated. A pager system or portable receiver can be used to receive alerts depending on whether the person to be notified is mobile or stays in one location
- plug in smoke alarms with loud siren and strobe light alert
- smoke alarms with strobe light alerts which can be hard wired to the electrical system or battery operated
- smoke alarms that are supplied with an inbuilt transmitter or those that have a transmitter positioned close to the smoke alarm that picks up the sound of the alarm and then transmits the alert
- smoke alarms with combination of strobe light, vibrating pager alert and loud siren.
Workplace solutions and adjustments
Visual or tactile alert systems can be used in workplaces where ear protection must be worn or employees have hearing loss resulting in standard auditory alarm signals not being heard or potentially misunderstood. Workplaces have a duty of care to incorporate the needs of people with disability into comprehensive emergency response plans and this includes giving consideration to ensure they have equal access to emergency alerts. Use of alternative alert systems are also beneficial to cover evacuation requirements, notification of visitors to the workplace or notification of the phone ringing.
Other emergency evacuation products can be sourced at the links below:
References
RNID (no date specified), Factsheet: Smoke Alarms, The Royal National Institute for Deaf People, London, viewed 29 March 2011, http://www.rnid.org.uk/information_resources/productsandequipment/productnews/2006/rnid_smoke_alarm.htm.
RNID 2010, Factsheet: Multi-alerting systems for the home, The Royal National Institute for Deaf People, London, viewed 29 March 2011, http://www.rnid.org.uk/VirtualContent/84927/Multi_alerting_systems_November_2010.pdf.
Soundbytes 1996-2011, AlertMaster Signalling System, Soundbytes, New York, viewed 29 March 2011, http://www.soundbytes.com/alertmaster.html.
Soundbytes 1996—2011, Silent Call System, Soundbytes, New York, viewed 29 March 2011, http://www.soundbytes.com/page/SB/CTGY/SilentCallSystem.
Soundbytes 1996-2011, Smoke Detectors and Other Safety, Soundbytes, New York, viewed 29 March 2011, http://www.soundbytes.com/page/SB/CTGY/SmokeDetectorsandOtherSafety.
tiresias.og 2008, Radio Paging and Alarm Systems, RNIB Scientific Research Unit, London, viewed 29 March 2011, http://www.tiresias.org/research/devices/deafblind_radiopaging.htm.
Word of Mouth Technology 2011, Hearing the Smoke Alarm: Bellman Visit Flash Smoke Alarm Package, Word of Mouth Technology, Boronia, viewed 29 March 2011, http://www.wom.com.au/product.php?p=88.
Word of Mouth Technology 2011, Alerting systems: The Bellman Visit Alerting System, Word of Mouth Technology, Boronia, viewed 29 March 2011, http://www.wom.com.au/category.php?c=3+13+.