Smoke alarms for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired

There are specialised smoke alarms available for people who are Deaf or have a hearing impairment. These have a flashing strobe light and/or a vibrating pad that can be placed under the pillow which activate when the smoke alarm sounds and are designed to interconnect with conventional audible alarms in different locations within the home. If one of the alarms senses smoke, all alarms will sound, the strobe will flash and the vibrating pad will operate.

At present there is no Australian Standard (AS) that applies to smoke alarms for hearing impaired people. If the code number AS3786 appears on a smoke alarm for hearing impaired people, it refers only to the smoke alarm sensing unit and does not include the flashing strobe light or the vibrating pad.

People who wish to purchase smoke alarms for the hearing impaired should contact the relevant associations in their state for information on where they can be sourced or visit http://www.betterhearingsydney.org.au/content/view/63/53/

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