Whole Lotta Shakin’
Bed shaker smoke alarms can help protect the hearing impaired By Lafe Low, Red Cross writer Bob Bouchard with Fern Gagne and Lila Tardie When Fernando “Fern” Gagne and Lila Tardie first had a ‘Bed Shaker’ smoke alarm installed in their home, it was to protect Fern’s son who was staying with them at the time. Fern’s son is deaf. People who are deaf or hard of hearing are particularly vulnerable when it comes to home fires because they may not be able to hear the sound of a traditional smoke alarm. Delayed notification reduces the chances of getting out of a burning home safely. Many people don’t realize you have as little as two minutes to escape before it’s too late. As the years went by, Fern grew increasingly concerned about Lila’s hearing. So, when the time came to have their smoke alarms replaced, Fern asked the Red Cross about installing the specialized alarm for Lila too. It is installed next to the bed, and alerts those in the home using a strobe light and vibra...
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