Hearing

If you have hearing difficulties, you can get a smoke alarm that uses a strobe light and vibrating pads.

These alarms are for people with significant hearing loss who would not hear a normal smoke alarm. They are fitted by a member of the Community Safety Educators team. The alarm consists of two parts: the smoke alarm, which will be fixed to the ceiling, and the vibrating pad unit, which is located under the pillow.

If the smoke alarm detects smoke it will activate the bedside unit causing it to vibrate under the pillow, waking up the person. For more information, please contact us to arrange a Home Fire Safety Check so we can visit your home to explain these smoke alarms in more detail and assess your requirements.

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service are working towards becoming a more deaf-friendly service, making it more accessible for deaf, deafened and hard-of-hearing people. We recognise that British Sign Language is a language that has its structure and vocabulary. As such, we have provided all of our control staff (who will receive emergency SMS text messages) with some training on responding accordingly.

You can register with Emergency SMS so that you can TEXT 999 in case of a fire or other emergency. Alternatively, get out and ask a neighbour to call 999 for you. If you have specialist equipment, such as a text phone or minicom, you can contact emergency services at 18000. To visit the official Emergency SMS website, click the button below:

We now have a new text service. Should you require further help or advice or wish to book a Home Fire Safety Check, you can text us on 07860 063686. This text number is for deaf, deafened, and hard-of-hearing people only, and a response will typically be issued within 24 working hours. This number is NOT to be used in an emergency.

We offer a FREE Home Fire Safety Check if you have any worries or concerns about your smoke alarms or would like some general fire safety advice. This consists of a member of our friendly Community Safety Team visiting your home to provide fire safety advice and check your smoke alarms. This advice is tailored to suit you in your home, depending on your living arrangements or circumstances.

Our team is trained to identify your needs and requirements and will deliver advice accordingly. A visit will last approximately 20 minutes and always be scheduled on an appointment basis. All members of our Community Safety Team have received Deaf awareness training, as have some of our firefighters. One team member has BSL NVQ Level 6 British Sign Language, so we can provide safety checks to profoundly Deaf people.

If your deafness affects your ability to hear a smoke alarm, we may provide an adapted smoke alarm or make a referral to your local council, who may be able to provide the relevant equipment. If required, we can make these referrals to other services that may assist your hearing needs. We partner with Leicester City Council, Leicester County Council and Action Deafness. To book a Home Fire Safety Check, please contact us.

In support of Deaf Awareness Week 2017 and to help us become more accessible to our communities, we have created a selection of British Sign Language videos on fire and road safety with information and advice to help keep you safe. All of the videos can be seen below, with some other helpful home fire safety videos:

Below, you will find links to useful information and advice for people who are deaf or have a hearing impairment:

For more information on fire safety, see the leaflet below: