Grant funding is enabling the Forsyth County Fire Department to provide important safety devices to hearing impaired residents.
The 2014 Chesney Fallen Firefighters Memorial Grant Award of $3,000 funded the purchase of smoke alarms and fire alarms/clocks with bed shakers, all specially designed for the hearing impaired.
“The two devices we were able to purchase through the grant work in concert to alert someone who is hearing impaired of the danger of a fire in their home,” Division Chief Jason Shivers said. “The smoke alarm itself is much like a traditional smoke alarm, but in addition to the audio alarm, it also features a strobe light. The bedside fire alarm acts as an alarm clock, but when it detects the smoke alarm has gone off it sounds a very loud warning and lights up showing the word ‘FIRE.’ The bed shaker unit is connected to that fire alarm, is placed between the mattress and box spring, and shakes the bed vigorously to awaken a sleeping person.”
Together, the goal of these devices is to alert a hearing impaired person of smoke or fire in their home.
“The bed shaker alarms are designed specifically for those who are hearing impaired at night, meaning they either suffer from complete deafness or they take out a hearing aid at night,” Fire Prevention Training Officer Laura Coleman said. “This is the first time our department has been able to provide equipment of this nature to the community.”
The Forsyth County Fire Department Public Safety Education Division provides and installs the units free of charge to hearing impaired citizens who are financially unable to purchase them on their own. Three households have already had the units installed thanks to this grant.
The grant program was named in memory of Brant Chesney, a career firefighter with Gwinnett County Fire Department who died in the line of duty while volunteering with the Forsyth County Fire Department in December 1996. The goal of the grant program is to honor the memory of Chesney and all other fallen firefighters who have paid the ultimate price in service to the state of Georgia. The grant is administered by the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation.
“The Forsyth County Fire Department is most appreciative of the grant funding through the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation to fund this important program,” Fire Chief Danny Bowman said. “This grant in particular is especially meaningful to us in that it is in honor of Brant Chesney, who will forever be missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing and working with him.”
For more information about the devices for the hearing impaired, contact Fire Prevention Training Officer Laura Coleman at 770-205-5699 or llcoleman@forsythco.com.
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