Smoke alarms save lives. But those who are deaf or hard of hearing cannot depend on the sound of the regular alarm to alert them to a fire. There are now a variety of smoke alarms on the market that combine sound and strobe lights to alert those with limited hearing that there is a fire in the home.

Facts & figures*

• 19 of every 20 homes (95%) in the U.S. have at least one smoke alarm.

  More than half of home fire deaths result from fires in the 5% of homes with no smoke alarms.

  Almost half of all fatal fires start at night when people are asleep.

(*From NFPA's U.S. Experience with Smoke Alarms and Other Fire Alarms and national estimates reported to U.S. municipal fire departments based on NFIRS and NFPA survey.) 

• Consider installing a smoke alarm that uses a flashing light, vibration and/or sound to alert people to a fire emergency. The majority of fatal fires occur when people are sleeping, and because smoke can put people into a deeper sleep, it is important to have the necessary early warning of a fire to ensure that they wake up.

  Be sure that the smoke alarm you buy carries the label of an independent testing laboratory.

  Keep a communications device nearby. If you use a TTY/TTD device, place it close to the bed so that communication with emergency personnel is possible should fire or smoke trap you in your room.