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Deaf burned by smoke alarm costs: hearing society
The Canadian Hearing Society's target for a special dart tournament in Ottawa is to raise awareness about a potential hazard: How people with hearing problems respond to smoke alarms.
The answer for many of the more than one million people in Ontario who are deaf or hard of hearing is a special alarm that, when triggered, emits flashing lights so bright they can wake someone even from a sound sleep, the society says.
But the alarms are expensive, costing $250 each plus hiring an electrician to install them.
Denise DeShaw, a deaf mother of two children, said it's an expense her family can't afford.
"We've been putting it off a bit because there are expenses — day care, groceries, all of those things," said DeShaw, 37, in sign language translated by an interpreter. "It's way too much."
Her partner, Todd Tobin, is deaf and blind.
Her smoke warning system now consists of her children, Brandon Wilton and Tamara Tobin, who have normal hearing.
"So imagine if there was a fire here. I have to depend on my son, who is only five," DeShaw said. Her daughter will soon turn three.
Philippe Ramsay, a spokesperson for the Canadian Hearing Society, said his organization receives 10 to 15 requests per month from people like DeShaw who need financial assistance to pay for the special smoke alarms. It is lobbying the provincial government for money to help.
"[Alarms] are expensive and not readily accessible to some of our members," he said.
The society provides a variety of services to the hearing impaired and their families.
Unaware of problem
Ivan Tanner, a spokeman for the Ottawa Fire Service, said the city was initially unaware that the cost of fire alarms was a problem.
"Like a lot of people, we assumed that between the city or the federal government, somebody would be providing that for them," he said.
Once he learned that was not the case, he convinced the Ottawa Community Housing Society and some of the city's largest private rental companies to provide the special visual alarms on request.
But many families must still buy and install the alarms themselves.
And that's where fundraisers come in.
The dart tournament Wednesday will help raise funds for those in need. It's at the Lone Star Café near St. Laurent Boulevard in Ottawa.
The Canadian Hearing Society's target for a special dart tournament in Ottawa is to raise awareness about a potential hazard: How people with hearing problems respond to smoke alarms.
The answer for many of the more than one million people in Ontario who are deaf or hard of hearing is a special alarm that, when triggered, emits flashing lights so bright they can wake someone even from a sound sleep, the society says.
But the alarms are expensive, costing $250 each plus hiring an electrician to install them.
Denise DeShaw, a deaf mother of two children, said it's an expense her family can't afford.
"We've been putting it off a bit because there are expenses — day care, groceries, all of those things," said DeShaw, 37, in sign language translated by an interpreter. "It's way too much."
Her partner, Todd Tobin, is deaf and blind.
Her smoke warning system now consists of her children, Brandon Wilton and Tamara Tobin, who have normal hearing.
"So imagine if there was a fire here. I have to depend on my son, who is only five," DeShaw said. Her daughter will soon turn three.
Philippe Ramsay, a spokesperson for the Canadian Hearing Society, said his organization receives 10 to 15 requests per month from people like DeShaw who need financial assistance to pay for the special smoke alarms. It is lobbying the provincial government for money to help.
"[Alarms] are expensive and not readily accessible to some of our members," he said.
The society provides a variety of services to the hearing impaired and their families.
Unaware of problem
Ivan Tanner, a spokeman for the Ottawa Fire Service, said the city was initially unaware that the cost of fire alarms was a problem.
"Like a lot of people, we assumed that between the city or the federal government, somebody would be providing that for them," he said.
Once he learned that was not the case, he convinced the Ottawa Community Housing Society and some of the city's largest private rental companies to provide the special visual alarms on request.
But many families must still buy and install the alarms themselves.
And that's where fundraisers come in.
The dart tournament Wednesday will help raise funds for those in need. It's at the Lone Star Café near St. Laurent Boulevard in Ottawa.