# Hearing impaired and smoke alarms

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-impaired-and-smoke-alarms/346207>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 26, 2006, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-impaired-and-smoke-alarms/346207 "2006-02-26T19:24:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-impaired-and-smoke-alarms/346207/1 "2006-02-26T19:24:55Z")

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How do deaf people cope with living alone and dealing with the possibility of a fire late at night? On a more mundane level, how does a deaf person know if there is someone at the door?

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**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-impaired-and-smoke-alarms/346207/2 "2006-02-26T19:27:57Z")

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[They have extremely bright flashing lights](http://www.electricsuppliesonline.com/brk10acposma.html)

Also, doorbells can be hooked up to lamps that flash when the bell is rung.

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**Author:** ![TwistyLamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ba0ec/32.png) [@TwistyLamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistyLamp)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-impaired-and-smoke-alarms/346207/3 "2006-02-26T22:22:38Z")

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Yes indeedy. Back when I was living on campus, they had a flashing light alarm system, since I couldn’t hear low sounds. There is also a doorbell alert system where you press the buzzer and it sets off a flasher.

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**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-impaired-and-smoke-alarms/346207/4 "2006-02-26T22:25:21Z")

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I stayed in a hotel in Victorville, CA that had a flashing light for the doorbell (visible from anywhere, unless you were in the bathroom with the door closed). I didn’t notice whether there was a flashing-light alarm system. I think the coolest thing would be a smoke alarm that transmits Fear instead of sound or light. JMHO.

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**Author:** ![6\_6\_6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e0b2c6/32.png) [@6\_6\_6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6_6_6)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-impaired-and-smoke-alarms/346207/5 "2006-02-27T00:04:29Z")

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In the UK, some people have [dogs](http://www.hearing-dogs.co.uk/) to help them. I’d be surprised if they weren’t used in other countries too.