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Letter to the Editor: Fire safety for the deaf

Posted on May 1, 2008 by Staff

While Carrboro is in the process of revamping its building rules, I hope they will contact the State Fire Marshall’s Office about a little known federal law passed in 1997: (42 U.S.C. 4151—4157, 7 CFR 1930 Sub part C), which states that owners of apartment buildings must install visual alarms for deaf residents at no cost. This applies to all apartment buildings, old or new.

Ten percent of people over 70 have hearing loss and cannot hear the ear-splitting audible alarms when they remove their hearing aids to sleep. Many of our parents live in senior apartment buildings and would not know there was a fire in their building until the flames engulfed their bed.

Given the number of fires we have had in Carrboro lately and the number of returning veterans who have suffered hearing loss due to roadside bombs, we should enforce this law. What a shame if a veteran made it all through the war and came home only to die needlessly in an apartment fire.

A small wireless part inserted in the existing fire or smoke alarm enables a deaf person to plug his pillow or bed shaker into any wall socket so that when the alarm sounds the bed shaker or pillow shaker will begin to shake the deaf person awake.

The State Fire Marshall’s Office has an excellent technical department to advise owners and managers about the best and most economical parts for their existing alarm.

If you have a deaf friend or a deaf parent in an apartment building anywhere in the country (it is a federal law), call your state fire marshall’s office for help. The service is free to all of us, paid by our taxes. Let’s all help keep our deaf citizens safe.

Grace Thompson
Carrboro

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