Thursday 17 July
2007
11.00hrs
Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AF&RS) has expanded its
website to bring vital fire safety messages to users of British
Sign Language (BSL).
The site now features nine short films, covering a range of
topics including chip pan safety advice, what to do in an
emergency, planning an escape route and how to book a Home Fire
Safety Visit.
It is hoped the films, which have been signed by Carolyn
Nabarro, AF&RS’s Deaf Equality Officer, will reach out to a
section of the community which may not have been able to access
this information before.
AF&RS has teamed up with the University of Bristol Centre
for Deaf Studies website, ‘DeafStation’ www.deafstation.org, who created
the site.
Andy Colgan, AF&RS Head of Community Safety, said: “With our
community safety work we aim to cater for the whole community.
Expanding our website for people who use BSL is a fantastic way to
engage with members of the community who may have been missing out
on vital fire safety information.
“This is just the latest in a series of initiatives we have
introduced at AF&RS to meet the needs of people who are deaf or
hard of hearing. A number of our staff have learned to sign BSL and
have been able to put this into practice.
“In addition to the web pages and staff learning to sign, our
services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing include a fire
safety DVD in BSL, fitting free smoke detectors and providing a SMS
text message service for those wanting to book a free Home Fire
Safety Visit.”
A common misconception about people who use BSL is that they
fully understand English, however, BSL is actually a completely
different language. BSL users therefore are not always able to
understand English, said Carolyn.
She added; “This is a significant achievement for AF&RS in
reaching members of the Deaf community and I am delighted that we
have been able to expand our services for people who are deaf.”
Follow the link to access the BSL
fire safety messages