The safe management of an emergency relies upon all people in the building receiving clearly understood information; this includes people with disabilities.
One in seven (15%) of the UK population (9 million people) experience hearing loss from mild deafness to being profoundly deaf. This can obviously prevent them hearing the audible tones of a fire alarm that many hearing people take for granted!
London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham knew any potential situation that could arise which could potentially put this sector of the community at risk had to be addressed, not only from a safety point of view but also to ensure that the council fulfilled their duty under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). There are many DDA issues that need to be addressed by the council but those that could impinge on life safety are paramount.
The LBHF has chosen the patented Deaf Alerter fire alarm warning and integrated messaging system to ensure that Deaf and hard of hearing people have equal access to fire alarm warnings when in council public access buildings.
The DDA places emphasis on removing barriers to grant equal access but egress is just as important, if not more. There is no point making buildings accessible if in an emergency situation people are unable to evacuate the building safely because they have failed to be informed.
Mike Fatyga from the council's Building Technical Services department commented:
"We want to make sure our facilities are accessible to everyone, we have a responsibility and we feel we have found the solution with the Deaf Alerter system which meets all relevant standards and legislation."
The Deaf Alerter system is integrated with the building's fire alarm which automatically sends a radio-based message to the Alerter user informing them of a fire alarm or other emergency situation.
Whether you're an employee or just visiting a council building you can borrow an Alerter. When entering a building installed with a Deaf Alerter system you will see the nationally recognised signs - look out for them on the entrances of: Barclay House - Social Services , Fulham Town Hall, Hammersmith Library, Hammersmith Town Hall, Hammersmith Housing, Highmaster House, Riverview House, King Street - Social Services.
