Here is the entire science report.


Research Question

How can the current standard emergency fire alarm systems become more accessible for individuals with disabilities?


Background Research

In 2017, Statistics Canada reported that about 6.2 million Canadians aged 15 and over had a disability. Making up roughly 22% of the population, disabilities have become quite prevalent in recent years. Unfortunately, not all Canadian facilities have not been made accessible to these individuals.

In particular, standard fire alarms, which could have prevented over 1/3 of house fires in Canada, are not made accessible. In most cases, fire alarm systems will play a loud sound to signal that fire has been detected. This loud, blaring alarm can cause even more problems for those with disabilities as they try to evacuate the area. For example, for those with hearing loss, a blaring sound would not effectively alert them.

Fire alarms were created to provide safety and security for all individuals. However, the current failure to incorporate other protocols into its design directly impacts people with disabilities. This project will discuss possible inclusions to the standard fire alarm design.


Purpose

The purpose of this project is to develop a fire alarm system that can better meet the needs of individuals with disabilities. This study will focus on developing additional alert methods so that the fire alarm system can be an inclusive emergency device.


Hypothesis

With the incorporation of both strobe lighting (and its colours) and additional vibration, the current standard emergency fire alarm system can become more accessible. In order to maximize its effectiveness, these inclusions are based on the most common types of disability claims in Canada which include hearing and developmental disabilities.


Procedure

  1. Research the current fire alarm systems used in public spaces (e.g. schools).
  2. Collect data about the most common types of disabilities in Canada.