A house fire on Monday sent three firefighters to hospital with minor injuries, but it could have been a lot worse, and it’s raising questions about specialized smoke alarms for those with special needs.
“This whole area was completely engulfed in flames,” Bernard Rachinski told CTV News through an interpreter.
Rachinski is deaf. When his house went up in flames, he was asleep in bed on the second floor. If it weren’t for a lucky accident, he might not have made it out in time.
What woke Rachinski up wasn’t a fire alarm. “Normally there was a doorbell that makes a connection – when you push the button; a light goes on in my house. So what happened, the was so intense it melted the wires together, and it just went on,” he said.
When the light came on, Rachinski woke up, but when he went downstairs, he found his exit was completely blocked by the fire. He was able to escape out the second floor window.
“You have to think of how important it is that smoke detectors are accessible and the alarm system is accessible for the hearing impaired to actually help them wake up,” said Roger Carver, executive director of the Saskatchewan Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services.
Strobe light smoke alarms are available, but they can cost up to $300. For some, they’re simply unaffordable.
Saskatchewan Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services is trying to raise awareness about the specialized alarms so they become more accessible for those who need them.
“They need to become very mainstream that they could be sold in a regular outlet. Wherever you could find a smoke alarm there should be smoke alarms for people with hearing loss,” Carver said
The organization is hoping to partner with the Saskatoon fire department to make the devices more accessible.
