Curtis
Dickinson
Copyright 2000
Which is best for being awakened from a sound sleep during an emergency-Vibrations, Incandescent Flashing lamp or Photo Electric Strobe light?
It depends on the individual. Some swear by vibrations. Some swear by a flashing lamp. Others say only a strobe will work.
A good vibrator will shake the bed. A flashing lamp can be seen through your eyelids and so can a strobe light. A strobe light is brighter than a incandescent bulb, though no guarantee to be more effective when in a sound sleep. Both are ineffective if your face is covered.
So you won't really know, unless you try. Truth is, all will work in the beginning because the alert is new and you waken through surprise! Therefore it can be assumed if the same alert wakens you every day, at the same time, it becomes not an emergency, does it not? And then it becomes easy enough to ignore the signal.
There are some bed shakers (vibrators) that alert you by a continuous single phase vibration. This means it produces a steady vibration until you either shut it off or it turns itself off. Another vibrator alerts you by emitting a pulse-style vibration. This is an on/off alert. It releases a burst of vibration. Then stops, then vibrates again. This too continues until it is shut off either by you or the alarm.
These are special lights producing a quick sharp white flash, such as in a flash camera, and much brighter then a lamp.
The alerting devices that allow you to plug in a lamp generally are less costly than strobe lights. Basically you just plug the lamp of your choice into the device. The more expensive lamp flashing devices allow you to use the lamp in a normal fashion. This means that the lamp will flash when the alert is activated, regardless if the lamp is on or off. The less expensive alerting devices will not allow this. In other words, if you turn on the lamp on to read, it then will not flash. If you purchase this type be sure to tape the on/off switch or cover it some other way. This will act as a this is your flashing alert lamp, not an ordinary lamp.)
For smoke or fire or doorbell alert try to get something (different than what you use to wake up with) that is not used to waken you each morning to, say, prepare for work. In other words, if you use a bedshaker to wake you each morning, be sure your emergency alert is a strobe light and/or vibration. Or if you use a strobe light to waken you each morning, make sure your emergency alert is a bedshaker. During the day, of course, you need visual flashing lights in each room.
A flashing lamp can alert you. So can a strobe light. A strobe light emits a whiter/brighter light with a faster flash speed that is seen more easily and grab your attention sooner when particularly if you are in an adjoined room. The best safety precaution is to have an alert in every room whether they are strobe or lamp bulbs.
Some of the better known manufacturers of these devices are: GENTEX, Global assistive, Silent Call. But there are many manufacturers.
If you need to convince your landlord that he is obligated to install a proper fire/smoke alarm, show him the following referring regulations:
Sec.36.304 Removal of barriers. (A barrier for you because you cannot hear audible alarms): Sec.36.304 Removal of barriers.
(a) General. A public accommodation shall remove architectural barriers in existing facilities, including communication barriers that are structural in nature, where such removal is readily achievable, i.e., easily accomplishable and able to be carried out without much difficulty or expense.. (b) Examples. Examples of steps to remove barriers include, but are not limited to, the following actions -- (7) Installing flashing alarm lights.
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