Emergency TXT service
People who are Deaf or hard of hearing and have hearing and/or speech difficulties can register with Police to join the 111 TXT service. This service is only to be used in an emergency.
This is a nationwide service available to registered users wherever there is cell phone coverage. Registered users can contact the emergency services (Police, Fire and Ambulance) via text messaging on their cell phones.
Smoke alarms for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing
There are specialised smoke alarm systems available for people who are Deaf or are hard of hearing. These systems are a type of Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT) and include have extra features that connect to a smoke alarm such as extra loud and/or lower pitch alarm sounds, flashing strobe lights, or vibrating devices to alert people to smoke or fire in their home
Ideally, you will have hard-wired, interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms fitted with bed-shakers, strobe lights, pagers or a combination of these. However, this may be too expensive.
At Fire and Emergency New Zealand, we work with partner agencies to make recommendations on this specialised equipment to support people who are Deaf or hard of hearing to have early warning in case of smoke or fire in their home. These partner agencies also have options for applying for funding for the recommended equipment on behalf of the resident. Contact one of the 4 organisations below for advice as to the most appropriate options available for you to consider and to find out more about how to arrange a free assessment of your home for HAT smoke alarm equipment:
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Free home fire safety visit If you, or someone you know, needs support with general home fire safety advice and/or advice on smoke alarms you can request a free home fire safety check using this online form or call 0800 NZ FIRE (0800 693 473). In the case that someone in the household is Deaf or hard of hearing, then they may require further recommendations for Hearing Assistive Technology equipment, so we will refer to one of our partner agencies who can support. |