Frankie Talbot: Update on my research into fire alarms for Deaf people

In February this year I wrote my first article for the Limping Chicken, about the lack of accessible fire alarms in public places for Deaf people.  

It had a great response, with some really fascinating comments. I used all this new information to conduct some research at the University of Bristol, and I’m very proud to share the results with you!  

First, I wanted to figure out which fire alerting systems are currently being used in public places.  To do that I sent out some Freedom of Information requests to schools, colleges, libraries and hotels.  

Of the responses, only one quarter of the places said that they have a deaf-accessible fire alerting system (like a vibrating pager, flashing lights, text alert etc).  The other places either had no system for deaf people or had deaf people rely on hearing people in emergencies.

The next stage was an online questionnaire, which I sent out through Facebook.  In total I had 74 respondents (if you were one of them, thank you!).

The results showed that the respondents held the most negative feelings about fire safety in hotels (53%), far more than workplaces (11%) and educational institutions (20%).  Some respondents even said that the lack of accessible fire alarms put them off travelling, and stated that they relied on hearing friends, spouses and family in the event of an emergency.      

The questionnaire data showed that in general deaf people would rather use a deaf-accessible alerting method than depend on a hearing person.  Whilst the questionnaire respondents generally agreed that they prefer vibrating and flashing alarms, they also said that this equipment can sometimes be faulty, poorly positioned, or difficult to use.  

All this lead me to two conclusions, the first being that fire alerting technology should be improved and those who distribute it should be properly trained in its use.  

The other conclusion is that hospitality institutions such as hotels and hostels should be subject to stricter laws, as they are currently not legally obligated to provide fire alarms for deaf people.  

Now that I have finished university I hope to find the opportunities to keep working on this issue, as my research has confirmed to me just how important it is.  

I would love to hear more thoughts.  Do you agree with my findings?

Frankie Talbot is about to graduate from the University of Bristol.  She is still studying for her BSL level 3 certificate.