Families with deaf, hard-of-hearing children in District 186 get free fire alarms

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - District 186, the Springfield Fire Department, the Illinois State Fire Marshal's office and the nonprofit Camp I Am Me all joined together Thursday to announce they are giving away free smoke alarms designed specifically for the deaf and hard of hearing to district families.

"Working with the Springfield School District 186 to support their young deaf and hard of hearing population by providing these specialized bed shaker units allows our smoke alarm program to evolve and protect even more people across our state," said Camp I Am Me's Executive Director Philip Zaleski.

If a fire were to break out overnight, a deaf or hard-of-hearing student might not be woken up by a fire alarm.

The devices being given away connect to the home's smoke detectors. When the alarm goes off, it shakes the bed of the person who may not hear it.

"In my own department prior to coming here, I've seen the bed shaker at an incident and just how important that was for the occupant to exit the structure," said Illinois State Fire Marshal Michele Pankow.

Pankow said you only have about three minutes to get outside safely during a house fire. These devices will help make sure that in an emergency, everyone has enough time to get out.

One Springfield mother with a hard-of-hearing teenage son said it's something she has worried about before.

"When the alarms have gone off due to cooking in the morning and he sleeps through it," Sabrina Lockman said, "Then that has become a concern for me because I'm like, 'Okay, wake up for it.'"

The devices will be given to deaf or hard-of-hearing students throughout District 186.

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