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Andy Eley, business development manager at Fireco
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DMS is a new system designed to alert deaf and hard of hearing people to a fire alarm. Info4fire.com spoke to Andy Eley, business development manager at Fireco, the manufacturers of the system who will be demonstrating it at International Firex this month.
Q: What is DMS?
A: Very simply, DMS stands for Deaf Message Service. It uses ordinary mobile phone SMS technology to alert deaf and hard of hearing people when a fire alarm system has activated. It can also be used to alert lone workers and managers of fire alarm systems when they are off-site.
Q: What does the system consist of?
A: The great thing about DMS is that is uses something that almost everyone carries with them – their mobile phone. The only other equipment that’s needed is the DMS controller unit, which can be installed next to the fire alarm panel in under half an hour. This simplicity means that it is a very cost-effective solution to alerting deaf and hard of hearing people to fire alarms.
Q: How does it work?
A: The DMS controller is hardwired into the fire alarm panel. When a fire alarm is activated, it triggers a process that within seconds, sends a text message to everyone connected to that location. As far as users are concerned, all they do is connect by sending an SMS text with the location code of the building they enter. Once this has been sent, the user receives a text confirming that they are connected to DMS.
Q: Do users have to reconnect every time they enter the same building?
A: No – the connection for that location automatically continues for a period of 12 months. After that time, they will receive a text asking them whether they want to reconnect for a further 12 months.
Q: What is the range of the system?
A: There are effectively no limits to the range of the system, as it uses existing mobile phone networks to connect to and transmit alerts. However, the location does need to have mobile phone network coverage, and a site survey before installation will check this.
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| The DMS controller is hardwired into the fire panel |
Q: Why should building managers consider DMS for their buildings?
A: It is a cost-effective way of helping managers comply with the Equality Act 2010, which among other things, gives disabled people rights of access to everyday services. The Act requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments to premises or to the way they provide services to disabled people.
Q: Alerting systems for deaf and hard of hearing people such as pagers already exist. Why is there a need for DMS?
A: Other systems rely on members of staff to be involved by, for example, registering and handing over pagers to deaf users. The advantage of DMS is that it gives users the independence of not having to rely on others in order to be ‘connected’ to the fire alarm system.
Q: What sort of buildings is DMS suitable for?
A: DMS is suitable for buildings such as supermarkets, shopping centres, lecture theatres and libraries. It has been installed at local authority premises including Portsmouth City Council, and at universities and colleges including UCL in London. The system is also being trialled in the TV studios of a national broadcaster, at an energy supplier, and by a leading high street retailer.
Q: Can DMS be easily retrofitted?
A: Yes, DMS is suitable for easy retrofitting or installation in new builds.
Q: What do I need to do to find out more?
A: You can visit http://www.deafmessageservice.com or contact Andy Eley at Fireco on: 0845 241 7474.
Watch the DMS video
