Special Fire Alarms for Deaf People

A profoundly deaf widow in the West End has become one of the first people in the city to have a free specialist fire alarm installed in her home. Said Sheila Gartshore (63) ‘I can now sleep more easily.’

The alerter consists of a flashing light on the wall above her bed and a vibrating pad placed under her pillow. These are automatically activated should a fire start.

Sheila has been worried about the risk of fire in her home. She said: ‘Thanks to the new deaf alerter I have more peace of mind. Before this I was quite frightened.’

Strathclyde Fire and Rescue’s, SFR, South Glasgow Area is working in partnership with the Sensory Impairment Team from Social Work Glasgow and £10,000 has been secured for the scheme, city wide, from the SFR’s Chief Office’s Partnership Fund.

An additional £8000 has come from the Community Planning Partnership in the South East through a home safety programme.

Retired, Sheila recently became a grandmother. She volunteers her help one day a week at the WRVS shop in Gartnavel Hospital.

A home assessment was carried out earlier in the year in her home by social work services whose welfare advisor and technician, Alan Duncan, installed the alarm.

He said: ‘I have installed this type of specialist alarm in a dozen homes across the city and have around 100 more lined up. I get real job satisfaction and it is very rewarding.’

Social work services can provide a British Sign Language interpreter to accompany SFR personnel if required when they carry out free home safety visits.

To arrange a visit, just call into any fire station or log on to www.strathclydefire.org and click on the community safety link.