Miss-Delectable
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LFR installs free smoke alarms for deaf
Zach Rose lost most of his hearing when he was 5 years old.
Now a sophomore at Lincoln East, Zach can't hear high-pitched noises such as his alarm for school - or smoke alarms.
Being late is one thing, but possibly losing a life is another.
So when his mom, Amy, got an e-mail from the Lincoln Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing about Lincoln Fire and Rescue installing new alarms for the deaf, she jumped at the opportunity.
"I never had the chance to worry about his safety," Rose said. "The thought of the dangers just never crossed my mind.
"This is a wakeup call. I'm thankful they can do this for us."
Saturday, Lincoln Fire and Rescue installed about 70 special smoke alarms in homes to rouse the deaf or hard of hearing.
They use pulsing strobe lights and vibrating pillows to alert people with hearing disabilities to an alarm they might not hear otherwise.
"Most people don't go the extra mile to purchase these devices, whether it be due to the financial aspect or they don't think of it," said Jeff Hatcher of LFR. "They think they can wake up that person before something bad happens, but that's not always the case."
The devices usually cost $175 to $200, but LFR received a $126,000 grant from FEMA.
Twenty percent of that grant will be used to pay for 400 units for the deaf, and the rest goes toward 3,000 fire alarms for Lincoln residents.
Officials say more than 80 percent of fire deaths occur in homes with no alarms or non-functioning alarms.
The alarms for people with hearing disabilities listen for normal smoke alarm tones and then send a signal to the device under their pillow, prompting it to vibrate.
"Now you have no excuse not to wake up for school," one of the LFR personnel with Truck 7 said jokingly. "No snooze button anymore!"
Zach Rose lost most of his hearing when he was 5 years old.
Now a sophomore at Lincoln East, Zach can't hear high-pitched noises such as his alarm for school - or smoke alarms.
Being late is one thing, but possibly losing a life is another.
So when his mom, Amy, got an e-mail from the Lincoln Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing about Lincoln Fire and Rescue installing new alarms for the deaf, she jumped at the opportunity.
"I never had the chance to worry about his safety," Rose said. "The thought of the dangers just never crossed my mind.
"This is a wakeup call. I'm thankful they can do this for us."
Saturday, Lincoln Fire and Rescue installed about 70 special smoke alarms in homes to rouse the deaf or hard of hearing.
They use pulsing strobe lights and vibrating pillows to alert people with hearing disabilities to an alarm they might not hear otherwise.
"Most people don't go the extra mile to purchase these devices, whether it be due to the financial aspect or they don't think of it," said Jeff Hatcher of LFR. "They think they can wake up that person before something bad happens, but that's not always the case."
The devices usually cost $175 to $200, but LFR received a $126,000 grant from FEMA.
Twenty percent of that grant will be used to pay for 400 units for the deaf, and the rest goes toward 3,000 fire alarms for Lincoln residents.
Officials say more than 80 percent of fire deaths occur in homes with no alarms or non-functioning alarms.
The alarms for people with hearing disabilities listen for normal smoke alarm tones and then send a signal to the device under their pillow, prompting it to vibrate.
"Now you have no excuse not to wake up for school," one of the LFR personnel with Truck 7 said jokingly. "No snooze button anymore!"
