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FIRE SERVICE AND GENERAL FIRE SAFETY TOPICS => Fire Safety => Topic started by: colin todd on October 12, 2005, 09:13:13 AM
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I am involved in some work on the above, as it is, I understand, becoming common for some specifiers to require flashing beacons in bedrooms (as called for by AD M), OF SUFFICIENT OUTPUT TO WAKE SLEEPING PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAF. (The words in caps are the contentious and tricky bit.) Last time I researched data on this, the only thing I could find that was definitive was American work, which suggested that tremendously high light outputs would be necessary (involving high current demands and engineering difficulties potentially). I also have a recollection that the Americans now regard this as an unreliable means for waking deaf people anyway. I do not think that AD M is clear in its intentions in any case, as it is ambiguous as to whether the beacons are for deaf people who are awake, or whether the intent is to wake them up if asleep. ( I have always thought the former.) Does anyone know of other, or more recent, research on the subject of the level of illuminance required to wake deaf people from sleep, or on the use of this technique.
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Sorry Colin, I know this is obvious, but have you asked the RNID?.
They were very useful a couple of years ago helping me with a project which involved a community of deaf persons contacting their FRS by 999 phone.
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I have wondered about this also.
Tactile alarms are the best for waking people and as you say the beacons would have to be like car head lights.
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as an addition - is there an opportunity to fix an external sounder/beacon to perhaps notify neighbours, i know its not going to be the panacea but in some circumstances may help to achieve the best results as opposed to pure compliance with the legislative requirements?
dave bev
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Messy, Many thanks. I had thought about RNID already, but it was good of you to suggest it anyway. Davey, This is not for dwellings. We have sorted them with BS 5446-3. It is for commercial and institutional, for compliance with AD M. I agree that vibrating is the answer, but some specifiers are asking for visual alarms that will wake deaf people. No one knows what to provide in response to such a requirment in a spec. I agree with Graeme, but we need to bottom out whether it is viable or not, and, if it is, to define the performance required. There has been research on this, but I am not sure that it helps in a practical way.
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The effect of light on sleep is a complex area as sleep itself is.
(http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih3/sleep/guide/info-sleep.htm)
The main effects of light is on levels of melatonin in the body which in turn affects sleep patterns.
The only references to light seem to be in relation to affecting drowsiness & similar rather than waking up.
With respect to light levels it is worth noting that one study (http://www.jcircadianrhythms.com/content/2/1/4) required light levels of over 2000 lux to have a marked effect on the body, although they used 200-300 lux as well it took a period of time around half an hour to produce results. Others state lesser amounts can have an effect.
But all of this is on awake people and it's effect on their sleepiness etc.
From what I can find on online medical journals I wouldn't say there was a reliable method of using light to wake that would work on all people, unless you use extreme methods such as fixing a police helicopter NightSun floodlight in the room & even then there would be the odd person alseep on their front who it might not affect.
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so if the sleeping awake to a blinding light, not only are they deaf, they now have retinal damage and stand a good change of having an induced heart attack, not to mention 75% burns and hair loss.
Sounds good colin. What PPE do you propose??
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How about supplying hearing dogs to waken the deaf rather more gently? As this is institutional rather than domestic one dog could probably cover quite a lot of ground.
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Now to top it all not only will the sleeping be suffering all of the above, but now from the onset of Septasemia from the dog secretions to the 3rd degree burns.
As long as they get alive...........just
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so if the sleeping awake to a blinding light, not only are they deaf, they now have retinal damage and stand a good change of having an induced heart attack, not to mention 75% burns and hair loss.
Sounds good colin. What PPE do you propose??
it may be dangerous and induce flash backs to their clubbing days,which is why they are deaf in the first instance.
people may look at you funny if you take a dog into a hotel room without a white stick.
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Now why have I had a sudden flash back to Not the Nine O'Clock News and the Visual Telephone Warning device for the deaf (it'll sink in in a minute!)?
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don't mention taking dogs to hotels!!
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don't mention taking dogs to hotels!!
Why-did you get caught too?
not the 4 legged but £4 a go types
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Mr Smith, I do not PROPOSE anything. It is already specified in AD M that there should be visual alarm signals in bedrooms. Specifiers are already demanding that these be bright enough to wake deaf people. The work in hand is to determine what light levels are necessary. The Americans did have tentative figures. What we all need to know is:
a) Can ANY light level be regarded as reliable to wake deaf people ( or say the 90th percentile of deaf people).
b) If so, what light level should be specified.
It would be useful to know what research evidnece is available. If there is none, that in itslef is a useful piece of information for the people working on this.
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Colin,
My tongue was firmly in my cheek when I wrote this. If you leave yourself wide open to a comedy angle on something that is quite a serious matter, then I’m afraid I can not resist.
On a serous note I am not aware of any research on this subject, although agree the only really viable method is a tactile system. I think Anthony has provided a good source of info and proved that light alone is an unreliable source of awakening the sleeping, although if bright enough to burn your hair off this may do the trick.
Good Luck!!
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I always thought that the flashing light was to notify awake persons with hearing problems and that the vibrators were for those sleeping.
Perhaps simply switching on a continuous light would be more acceptable?
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and that the vibrators were for those sleeping.
the batteries must of run out then Ken!
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Ken, You know that and I know that, but some specifiers interpret it differently.
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Colin,
Anecdotal evidence suggests that some hotels offer a vibrating device that can be worn around the neck or placed under the pillow - the expectation is that it responds to the alarm. Not the answer you are looking for but it may avoid the potential damage from the flashing light suggested above.
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i know of this company
http://www.deaf-alerter.com/website.htm
not keen on their wireless whistle.It's a Stanley tool box with aerials.
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Penny, Many thanks. I am familiar with these devices, and we have even written performance requirements for them (in BS 5446-3). Graeme, I know Deaf Alerter well too, but many thanks anyway. I remain of the opinion that this is a non-starter, but the problem is that people are specifying it, probably because they misinterpret the intent of AD M.
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Colin-fair chance that you have read it but there is an article in the FSE magazine this month on the DDA and visuals to awake sleeping persons.
I can scan it and send it to you if you have not seen it.
It cannot come up with a definitive answer but lists a few options.
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The mag is on my desk Graeme, ready to read. As always, though, thanks for your help.
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no bother.
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there are some internal technical papers by Dr Guylene Proulx of National Research Council (Canad) with regards to disabled persons. You should be able to google the site via CiteSeer.
U can also try to refer to papers by Prof Dorothy Bruck of Victoria Uni who has also done extensive works on this.
regards fr Singapore
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Very many thanks. I was aware of the Australian work but not the canadian stuff. I will search for it. Again, thanks.