Additional Advice for People with a Hearing Impairment

Below is some additional advice on smoke and heat alarms, for people with a hearing impairment.

• Fit a system of interlinked smoke and heat alarms and an interlinked strobe light and vibrating pad (the latter to be placed under your pillow when you go to bed) so that you receive a vibrating and visual alert if any alarm in your home activates.
• If you have a pacemaker fitted, consult your GP or medical professional first before installing a vibrating pad as these can sometimes interfere with some types of pacemakers.
• Register your mobile phone with the National Emergency SMS Service. This national scheme allows anyone, who is unable to use voice telephony, to send a text to 999 using a mobile phone. The text gets converted into a call to the emergency services. Visit the emergencySMS website to find out how to register.

The image above is an example of a strobe light and vibrating pad.