Hearing difficulties
If you have a hearing difficulty you can get a smoke alarm which uses a strobe light and vibrating pads.
These alarms are for people with significant hearing loss who would not hear a normal smoke alarm, and 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.
Carbon Monoxide Awareness
Emergency SMS
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 the emergency services on 18000. To visit the official Emergency SMS website, click the button below:
British Sign Language
In support of Deaf Awareness Week 2017 and to help us become more accessible to our communities, we have created a selection of fire and road safety British Sign Language videos with information and advice to help keep you safe. All of the videos can be seen below:
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 own structure and vocabulary, and as such we have provided all of our control staff (who will receive emergency SMS text messages) some training on how to respond accordingly.
Home Fire Safety Checks
If you have any worries or concerns about your smoke alarms, or you would like some general fire safety advice, we offer a FREE Home Fire Safety Check. This consists of a member of our friendly Community Safety Team visiting your home to provide you with fire safety advice and to check your smoke alarms. This advice is tailored to suit you in your home, depending on your living arrangements or circumstances.
Our team are trained to identify your personal needs and requirements and will deliver advice accordingly. A visit will last approximately 20 minutes and will always be carried out on an appointment basis. All members of our Community Safety Team have received Deaf awareness training, as have some of our firefighters. One member of our team has BSL NVQ Level 6 British Sign Language, so we are able to 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 onto your local council who may be able to provide the relevant equipment. If required, we are able to make these referrals to other services that may assist your hearing needs. We work in partnership with Leicester City Council, Leicester County Council and Action Deafness. To book a Home Fire Safety Check, please click the button below:
Fire Safety Advice
A number of other home fire safety videos have also been put together, and these can all be found below by clicking on the relevant button.
Useful Links and Information
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:
Contact Us
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 be typically issued within 24 working hours. This number is NOT to be used in an emergency.
