WAUSEON, Ohio — You've heard officials say every home needs working smoke alarms, but there's a concern right now for people who are hearing impaired, especially when they're asleep when a fire sparks.
The Wauseon Fire Department is now installing life-saving devices one bedroom at a time.
"If the smoke detector would go off, the one that I have now, I wouldn't be able to hear it, and if there was a fire I'd be in big trouble," said Butch Huffman, a Wauseon resident.
Huffman, 84, said due to old age, he lost his hearing five years ago. He also considers himself a sound sleeper.
But now, he feels safer thanks to The Lifetone Smoke Alarm. Fire safety experts said the untraditional device is needed in the homes of people who are hearing impaired.
"So this device couples with that traditional smoke alarm and provides a bed shaker unit that will shake the bed in hopes of waking them up and alert them that they do have smoke in their home," said Assistant Chief Dale Schulte with the State Fire Marshal's Office.
Since 2010, the Safe Alarms For Everyone program has been available for everyone in Ohio.
The Wauseon Fire Department contacted the state fire marshal's office to participate.
Huffman is now the third Wauseon resident to get a bed-shaking smoke alarm.
"I think that if anybody has problems hearing and they can't hear the smoke detector, I think that this would be the ideal situation to have," said Huffman.
The Wauseon FD chief said that with every Lifetone he installs, he feels the impact personally.
"My father's deaf, he doesn't have that ability to hear a smoke detector either and as this technology has evolved, we have been able to place one in his home as he's at home alone at night," said Chief Phil Kessler with the Wauseon FD. "So it gives the family, it gives us a sense of security that at least something is looking out for him while he sleeps."
The State Fire Marshal's Office said any fire station in Ohio can sign up to be a part of this program and it should be available to any Ohio resident who needs it.
The Red Cross also supplies the bed shaker alarm. A spokesperson gave WTOL 11 a statement that reads:
"If someone is interested in getting a bedshaker alarm, they can call the Red Cross Toledo office at 419-329-2900 to request one. We need the person’s name, address and contact phone number. The Red Cross will then order the alarm and our installation team would call and set up an appointment to come and install it for the client. The alarms are free for those who are hearing impaired," said Christy Peters Regional Communications Manager with the American Red Cross Northern Ohio Region."
More from WTOL: