Bottom Line: Fire Safety Solutions for People with Disabilities

By Nancy J. Trench
Assistant Director, Fire Protection Publications
Oklahoma State University
July 2007

Fact: People with disabilities are at greater risk for fire and burn injury and death.
This includes: People who are blind or have low vision
People who are deaf or hard of hearing
People with mobility impairments
People with cognitive disabilities
These populations are more vulnerable because they may not receive early warning or have egress capability to be able to take lifesaving action, such as escaping a home fire, quick enough, to protect themselves from fire.

Fact: According to the 2000 U.S. Census 60% of people over 65 years of age report having at least one disability. This information emphasizes the escalated risk when one population is subject to multiple high risk factors.

Fact: People with cognitive disabilities reflect a range of unique abilities and needs. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau reports 14.3 million people over the age of 15 with a mental disability.
This includes: People with developmental disabilities
People with learning disabilities
People with autism
People with acquired brain injuries
People with diseases of aging such as Alzheimer’s
Disabilities that affect a person’s awareness, memory, concentration, perception, organizational skills, problem-solving abilities and ability to learn, process information, communicate, and make decisions are cognitive.

Through a project at Oklahoma State University, we recommend these steps for effective fire and life safety programs for people with disabilities:

• Find a partner – There are service providers and advocates in your community that make perfect partners.
• Organize a focus group of people with disabilities - They are truly the experts on what is best for them, and all too often they are not asked or their input is not valued. ASK! And use the input. The motto: “Nothing about us, without us!” is the key to effective fire and life fire safety program implementation.
• Customize messages - This may seem obvious, but all too often, fire and life safety messages are lumped together and not specific to unique disabilities. Also, home fire safety may have messages that are different from high rise work place fire safety. Be specific.
• Use People First Language in all that you say and all that you print - People first language puts the person before the disability and describes what a person has not what a person is. Say “people with disabilities” not “the disabled” or “the handicapped”.
• Produce accessible program materials - People with disabilities may need educational materials in Braille, large print, in text only for a computer screen reader, recorded on a tape, or recorded on a CD.
• Select residential smoke alarms that meet the needs of people with disabilities – When your project involves the distribution and installation of residential smoke alarms, carefully select appropriate alarms. People who are deaf need an alarm that provides an alert such as a bed shaker and a strobe light. An alarm that can be tested and silenced with a household TV remote control may be ideal for people who are blind or use a mobility device. Sound fire protection engineering principals should be applied to the selection and installation of all residential smoke alarms. Consult with your local experts for assistance in your smoke alarm selection and installation guidelines.

The home fire safety messages and materials produced at Oklahoma State University as part of our “Fire Safety Solutions for Oklahomans with Disabilities” project are available for you to use. Copies of the DVD for adults who are deaf, Fire Safety for YOU at Home, Presented in American Sign Language, are also available. There is no cost for the DVD, but we ask that you pay the shipping. Call 800-654-4055.

All of the materials that support the smoke alarm installations for people in Oklahoma with disabilities are available to use in your community as well. These will provide you a place to begin your own program. Through the program in Oklahoma, each smoke alarm is installed by a trained technician who also reviews the fire safety messages and helps draw a home fire escape map. Many times the installer is in the home more than one hour. Currently the program reports 6 “Saves” with about 500 people served with free smoke alarm installations and accessible home fire safety messages.

Best of luck to you as you develop fire safety solutions for people with disabilities in your community!

Nancy J. Trench

Fire Safety Solutions for People with Disabilities is funded in part through the USFA/FEMA Assistance to Firefighters – Fire Prevention and Safety Grant Program. It is designed to help people with disabilities be more fire safe in their homes. This project is a collaboration of Fire Protection Publications and Oklahoma ABLE Tech at Oklahoma State University.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Oklahoma ABLE Tech

Fire Protection Publications (Then click on Fire Safety Solutions for People With Disabilities in the left column)

How to Be Fire Safe, Seeds Educational Services, Inc.

NFPA Center for High Risk Outreach (Click on Learning, click on Public Education, then click on Center for High Risk Outreach)

Tips for First Responders (Center for Developmental and Disability, Health Sciences Center, University of New Mexico

People First Language