MFD provides smoke detectors for hearing impaired

As the smoke rolls off the smoldering couch and rises to meet the smoke detector, most would expect a screeching alarm to sound, but that is not the case in one Maricopa home.

This smoke detector was not made for those with fully functional ears; it was designed with the hearing impaired in mind. Vibrating units are placed between the mattress and box spring, and, when smoke is detected, the beds shake and the detection device emits a bright, flashing light.

The Maricopa Fire Department last week gifted Maricopa resident Chris Nicholas and his family with one of these smoke detectors.

Nicholas, who is deaf, moved to Maricopa in May with his wife and six-year-old daughter. He immediately became aware of the potential for danger by not having an alarm system in his home.

I knew of a smoke alarm for the hearing impaired so I approached Mark Boys to see if he could assist me in securing one of these devices, said Nicholas.

“Mr. Nicholas came into my office reaching out for help; thankfully through partnerships with our brothers and sisters at the Phoenix Fire Department and the Valley of the Sun United Way, our department was able get him the equipment he needed to protected his home,” stated Division Chief of Fire Prevention Chief Mark Boys

The department installed the unit last Saturday in the Nicholas’s home.

“It is important that our residents with special needs know that these programs exist,”  Boys said. ”If there are residents in our community in need of special equipment like these smoke detectors, they need to know that help is out there for them.”

This program is available in the city of Maricopa and throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area through the Valley of the Sun United Way and the Phoenix Fire Department.

If you or someone you know qualifies for a specialized smoke alarm, please contact the Maricopa Fire Department Division of Fire Prevention at 520-568-3333, the Valley of the Sun United Way at 602-631-4843 or download an application online at:
www.vsuw.org/our-work/health-and-safety-of-neighborhoods/smokealarm.

“I want thank the firefighters and the United Way who helped our family. I encourage others to take advantage of this program,” said Nicholas.

Photo by Howard Waggner/News of Maricopa