COLUMBIA, S.C. — Statistics prove that smoke detectors save lives.
But what happens if you are hard of hearing?
No worries, there is a smoke detector for those who are hard at hearing which can make them more vulnerable to dangerous situations.
The American Red Cross offers the 'Bed Shaker' smoke alarm free of charge to those in need.
It's essentially a bed-side alarm clock with a vibrating piece that is placed on the bed under the pillow. If the smoke alarm goes off, the device will physically shake the bed to wake up the person.
It's programmed to sync with all other smoke alarms in the house, which is how it knows when to alert the person of any detected smoke.
Executive Director of the American Red Cross of Central South Carolina, Rebecca Jordan, says they started installing the devices about four years ago as a beta trial. Since then, they have "installed over 75,000 smoke alarms and have had 65 documented saves."
"This is great. It's for people who are hard of hearing or deaf, elderly that maybe don't hear their smoke alarm go off... They are very appreciative," Jordan says.
The installation process only takes about five to ten minutes total. While at your home, the Red Cross will also talk with you about a safety plan and the importance of being able to escape your home in two minutes through two different escape routes.
Logistics Coordinator for the Red Cross Central Chapter, Robert Mann, helps install the alarms in peoples homes. He says don't have to just be placed in the bedroom, they can be put anywhere in the home.
"If a hearing impaired person spends a lot of time like in their living room sleeping in their recliner or sleeping on the couch," Mann says. "We can install one in the living room also....It's what's needed to keep that person safe and we'll install as many as we need.
The bed shaker device is a part of their Home Fire Campaign in conjunction with the State Fire Marshal's Office and local fire departments. The goal is to install smoke detectors in people's homes to keep everyone safe in case of an emergency. Their alarms include lithium batteries that are expected to last up to ten years.
"Every 3.9 hours we respond to home fires so it's just a really important part of what we do," Jordan says. "We may not be able to prevent all of the home fires but if we can prevent those fatalities and injuries then it's really going a long way."
Visit the Red Cross website to apply for a bed shaker smoke alarm installation.