Deaf or hard of hearing people are receiving improved access to fire safety throughout the country with the help of Deaf Alerter plc.

One in seven (15%) of the UK population experiences some form of hearing loss from mild deafness to being profoundly deaf. This can prevent them from hearing the audible tones of a fire alarm which many hearing people take for granted. This figure is increasing predominately due to the population living longer, so alternatives to conventional alarms have to be considered.

With the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) much emphasis has been placed on access to buildings, however the issue of egress is largely overlooked. Deaf Alerter® is the market-leading fire alarm warning and messaging system for Deaf and hard of hearing people, and is installed in many large public access buildings.

New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton has recently installed the system (through their fire alarm provider ADT) to increase the safety of patients, visitors and hospital employees. Deaf Alerter plc's Managing Director, Steve Haseldine commented: "New Cross Hospital is demonstrating that fire safety for Deaf and hard of hearing people should not be taken lightly. The system is designed to offer independence as well as complete peace of mind - life safety is a priority."

The Deaf Alerter system compromises a VHF radio transmitter and aerial that is permanently connected to the hospital's existing fire alarm system. This responds instantly to an alarm and sends a simultaneous message to the small hand-held Alerter which flashes and vibrates to attract the user's attention. This will continue until the user is safely out of the building.