After The Limping Chicken recently published an article titled: Ask the Chicken: What rights do deaf people have to accessible fire alarms in hotels? which discussed what Deaf people’s rights to have vibrating fire alarms in the hotels in UK, I decided to share a bad experience I had with fire alarms in hotels.
Last year, my family and I were invited to a family wedding in Perth, Scotland, so a few months prior to the wedding a family member decided to book at the Mecure Hotel in the Perth City Centre, which seemed nice enough.
So I tweeted them to say I would be staying there and that I’m Deaf and to ask if they had any accessible fire alarms for the Deaf. They replied saying they had no equipment available.
I thought that was strange and tweeted back, saying I thought all hotels should have some sort of reasonable adjustments made in case of emergency events for Deaf/disabled people.
But I was going to be staying with my family in the same hotel and thought it would be ok as they would have a spare key for my room and they’d let the staff know about me. How wrong was I?
When the big day arrived, my family and I travelled up to Perth and went to the hotel to get ready. However whilst checking in, I told the staff at the reception that I was Deaf and they said they didn’t have any accessible fire alarms.
I’d naively thought that sometime in between my tweet and the date of my check in, they would realised that it was necessary to sort something out, but nope.
So I explained that I would need to be notified in event of a fire alarm and I wrote this down on the check-in sheet too. I explicably stated that someone would have to come in and get me if a fire alarm went off.
I was reassured by the staff that they had taken this on board and someone would come to tell me. I was fine with this, rushed off to the room so I could get ready and have some fun.
Hours later, after thoroughly enjoying the wedding, and being slightly tipsy as well as nursing sore feet after doing some over-enthusiastic dancing (rather badly I may add), I headed off to bed.
The next thing I knew, I was woken up by a bright light in my room at the ungodly time of 8am (not good if you’re hungover by the way)…. I’d thought something had happened then I could see my mum standing in my room.
I was quite disorientated as I was still sleepy and as I hadn’t put on my glasses- no wonder things were blurry but it could also have been down to the copious amount of drink I’d downed the night before.
I could just about make out my mum talking to someone but I also hadn’t put on my Cochlear Implant, I didn’t know what was being said.
Minutes later, my mum said that the fire alarm had gone off. I immediately sat up and started to gather my stuff to get out but she indicated that the fire alarm had stopped. She then explained that at 7am, the fire alarm had gone off and it turned out I was left in the room while everyone was evacuated!
I was gobsmacked and incredulous at what my mum had to tell me about the whole incident.
This is what happened according to my family.
At 7am, the fire alarm went off. Then my parents got out of the room and my mother went up to a member of staff to ask if I had been evacuated. She was reassured that I had got out of my room and was ok.
Relieved, my mum told my dad that I was out and they proceeded to make their way to the meeting point in the hotel’s car park. There they met my brother and his wife who was staying at the same hotel. My parents thought I was with my brother and sister-in-law.
However, it soon dawned on them that I was not with them nor anywhere in the car park, but that I was still in my room-fast asleep!
My mother then raced over to the hotel and told the hotel manager and the firefighters that they had missed me. This is where the confusion carried on, according to the firefighters, I was DEFINITELY evacuated as the staff had informed them that everyone had been accounted for(!).
So my parents, who were very upset and worried at this point while I was snoring away, totally oblivious to the entire situation, demanded that my room was checked to see if I was there.
Luckily at this point, it was revealed to be a case of false alarm-someone had a shower and left the bathroom door wide open thus triggering the alarm with the steam, so everyone could go back inside.
My mother then marched the manager and fireman up to my room and made them look in the room to see I was sleeping, which was rather unfortunate as I looked a mess and was drooling… But who cares? It was literally a matter of life or death (well it could have been).
I later spoke to a member of staff as I wanted to know exactly why I had been left in the room and the staff assumed I was out.
It transpired that the person responsible, who knew I was Deaf and went to check my room, did not do their job properly. That person had claimed that he did open the door but he didn’t see me as it was too dark, so naively assumed that I was out.
The bed was hidden behind the wall for the bathroom so the bed was not in the direct view of the door hence the need for him to actually come into the room.
He also stated that during the evacuation, he was distracted by other guests asking him for directions and advice.
I also strongly suspect that he opened the door and yelled “FIRE ALARM.” He also admitted that he didn’t flick the lights on and off as per the hotel’s procedures.
As soon as I came home, I got onto my computer and sent off a strongly worded email, explaining how annoyed and upset I was. I even reeled off some information about disability discrimination laws and legal responsibilities for the hotels (I’m clearly in the wrong career here!).
Eventually, I got a response from the hotel manager who had apologised for the incident and explained what had happened. She also went on to say that all the staff were to do a refresher training on the evacuation procedures and they were in process of purchasing the DeafGard alarm.
I really do hope they did just that or the next time could be fatal (I really hope that won’t be the case).
It is a scary thing to think about, especially when it could have easily been a real fire and I had NO way of knowing if a fire had happened.
I also have to mention the fact that the standard windows in the hotel rooms don’t even open wide enough to escape through- thumbs up for health and safety!
So I think DeafGard alarms should be made available in every hotels so Deaf people can enjoy their stay without worrying about getting burnt to a crisp but alas that’s not always the case.
I can understand why some staff are wary of entering the room, especially at night and well, you never know what they’ll end up seeing in the room.
I get it that people are entitled to their privacy in their rooms at hotels but if it comes down to a matter of life and death, I don’t think it really matters if they get interrupted while biting the heads off jelly babies or sleeping, or whatever they’re doing…
Surely there is a more effective way to alert Deaf people in hotels?
Without having someone to come in to inform them of an emergency or all the faff that come with trying to explain at the reception what exactly is a DeafGard is and why you need it, and explaining the difference between a Deaf fire alarm and a vibrator.
Well, that’s a whole different story…
UPDATE: One of our readers has added on Facebook:
Fiona describes herself as: “a profoundly Deaf Cochlear Implant user Scottish girl who loves anything geeky. Im passionate about helping Deaf children, Deaf education in Scotland and I used to work for NDCS Scotland as Family Support and Participation Officer on the See Hear Project in Dumfries and Galloway. When I’m not working, I like to binge watch on Netflix, doing fun stuff and spending time with my cute Deaf puppy- Harley.” She tweets as @Mynameisnotfifi
Kate
April 28, 2016
That’s shocking. I stayed at a Mercure hotel a few years ago (I’m hearing). It was a blistering hot day, but we couldn’t open the windows more than two inches either. It should be compulsory for all hotels to have the necessary equipment in place. I can’t imagine what it’s like having to put your faith, and safety, in someone else’s hands.
Jennifer Jain
April 28, 2016
That is really shocking to read 🙁 I can’t believe that the staff were able to claim that everyone was accounted for when you weren’t there. And that the staff member didn’t check the room thoroughly, surely in an emergency that is vital! I really hope that your experience will cause positive changes to be made, not just at that hotel but across the chain at least.
pennybsl
April 28, 2016
Gobsmacked.
If it was in a school / college / care home / anyplace with Safeguarding + H&S policies in places, management would be disciplined or sacked.
This ‘everything’s OK’ attitude towards Deafies is criminal.
At the end of the day, it is the ultimate responsibility of the Government to raise the status of d/Deaf people on the same level as already-highly-regarded legally stated “vulnerable” people.
Also such incidents deserve FULL financial REFUND to the deaf customer.
Cathy
April 28, 2016
Not an unusual story at all, sadly. But the reason windows cannot be open very far is most likely to stop “jumpers!”
Unfortunately, I dont think we’ll get anywhere with the windows but deaf fire alarms should be in ALL hotels. It is not rocket science and staff need to wake up and become Deaf aware!! Now!!!
Editor
April 28, 2016
Let the jumpers jump, I say, if it saves some Deaf folk!
(apologies if that seems a little heartless)
Charlie (Ed)
Ruthy Fletcher
April 28, 2016
A message for Fiona Stewart, I was astounded to hear your story and I totally agreed that this could be something done about it as I teach deaf awareness and basic sign language, which I provide deafgard for hoteliers. I would be grateful if I could borrow your story for my business and I can be able to show it to all the hoteliers and BHA about this terrible situation. I have had the same experience as you and it had happened to me three times in three different hotels.
Also, I would like to ask any deaf people who had similar experiences as me and Fiona to contact me, I can be able to inform all the hoteliers.
Please email me on ruthy@supportthedeafpeople.co.uk
I look forward to hearing from you, thank you.
Ruthy Fletcher
Qualified Teacher
Deaf Awareness and Basic Sign Language Training for Hoteliers
Sybil
April 28, 2016
Unbelievable!
Oh, wait. Not so much. I can believe this of strangers, because it happened to me with people I thought were friends.
At work, with people who have known me 20+ years: we had a fire alarm. Not a drill, an alarm was pulled. I happened to be out of the building when it went off (they do have lights,) but came back from my break after the alarms had been turned off.
I got back to my desk and realized no one else was in the office, so I headed outside- meeting my co-workers on their way back in. I assumed everything was over and sat back down at my desk. A short while later, someone came to my desk and asked where everyone was? Well, I thought they were at their desks. Silly me. They had been told verbally to leave, because the building wasn’t secured yet. No one bothered to tell me. And, according to the fire report, no one told the firemen that there might be a deaf person still inside the building.
When I complained later, I was told it was MY fault for coming back into the building before it was cleared (even though hearing co-workers had done the same.)
This scary reason is one of the many why I don’t work there any more.
(And, this is a building with Windows that do not open- even though it has only 2 floors. AND, at this point in time, the TTY they provided wasn’t in the same room- so I had no way to call out and let someone know if I had been trapped by fire. 😠)
Eric Vornis
April 29, 2016
Don’t think this sort of thing affects only deaf people. A number of years ago on a Saturday night I was accommodated in a hotel in the centre of Manchester. My hearing was good in those days, but it was a hot night, and the window was wide open. Noises from late-night revellers drifted in, and I fell asleep.
After a good night’s sleep I rose for breakfast, and met with my work colleagues, who said ‘Where were you last night?’.
It seems the alarms went off in the early hours, and I hadn’t heard a thing! Staff made no attempt to get me out of the room.
It WAS a real fire, caused by the kitchen staff. The fire had started, and been extinguished by the fire brigade without my knowing anything about it!
Sybil
April 29, 2016
The difference here is: you didn’t tell the staff you needed to be woken up in case of disaster. They might do a floor check in that case.
Fiona told them on MULTIPLE occasions that she needed a fire alert because she was deaf. When they could not provide her with an alarm, they said the staff would alert her. They failed miserably.
While what happened to you was not a good thing, what happened to Fiona was discriminatory, against the law, and bad form (how much are you going to trust this hotelier in the future?)
Hartmut
April 30, 2016
You could request a full refund for the failure to wake you up upon fire alarm. If they refuse it, sue the hotel at the Old Bailey.
MW
May 3, 2016
Could UKCOD make this a campaigning issues on behalf of all d/Deaf people since doing it alone make no changes and also this issue has been aired many moons ago and still nothing has been done to address it. Might UKCOD approach the hotelier association? If UKCOD like many other deaf orgs decided not to listen to this tells me they fail to do what WE want them to do. That what failing us.
Spencer
May 3, 2016
Something similar happened to my sister (Profoundly Deaf) and our family when we stayed in a hotel in Edinburgh. No alarms provided, fire alarm went off the next morning, no spare key for my sister’s room, running from 3rd floor to reception (lifts out of service, obviously) unhelpful (un-deafaware) staff who wouldn’t (at first) give me a key to her room, I eventually ran back up with a spare key to open her door (she was shocked to see me in her room having let myself in). Overall a stressful situation and one that highlighted the simple lack of awareness by the hotel and it’s staff as to the safety needs of D/deaf customers. We contacted them afterwards (as we ran a deaf awareness training company, we were in perfect position to help this company) and sad to say it was met with lack of enthusiasm from them. Result – never using that hotel chain again (my sister, my family, and extend circles after hearing this experience).