Buffalo Grove firefighters install smoke alarm to alert hard-of-hearing child

A 4-1/2-year-old child who is hard-of-hearing can sleep more securely now that Buffalo Grove firefighters equipped his family’s home with one of the state’s first “bed shaker” smoke alarm systems.

The system is designed to alert those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing in the event of a fire. The one installed by the village firefighters is the first in the village and among the first in the state, village officials said.

The installation was made possible through the Camp I Am Me/Illinois Fire Safety Alliance’s “Be Alarmed!” smoke alarm program, which provides free smoke alarms and specialized alerting devices to residents statewide.

The village’s first recipient is Maadhav Vats, who is hard of hearing and wears cochlear implants — a surgically implanted device that helps improve his hearing.

When he sleeps, he takes off his cochlear implants, so there is no way he can hear a fire alarm, his mother, Parul Tyagi, said.

“I am more comfortable and relaxed,” she said. “Now I know that if there is any fire emergency, he is going to be awake and know that there is something life-threatening.”

She reached out to the fire department at the annual Public Safety Open House.

“Our team was able to connect her with the right resources and complete the installation, all at no cost to the family,” Buffalo Grove Fire Chief Larry Kane said. “This is an incredible example of how community engagement can make a real difference.”

The system works by detecting the specific frequency of a smoke detector. Once activated, it triggers a bright strobe light and a vibrating puck placed beneath the mattress, ensuring those who are hard of hearing are alerted to danger even while asleep.

A team from the fire department, including Public Educator/Fire Inspector Peter Gripper, Acting Lt. Scott Wood, Firefighter/Paramedics Piotr Kujawowicz, Nick Wolski and Patrick Murray, Deputy Fire Chief Shawn Collins, Deputy Fire Marshal Bill Simmons and Firefighter/Paramedic Ryan McCarthy, successfully installed the system.

For more information on the “Be Alarmed!” program or to learn about upcoming safety initiatives, visit ifsa.org/prevention-resources/smoke-alarm/.

“This first-of-its-kind installation in Buffalo Grove demonstrates how innovation and compassion come together to protect all members of our community,” Kane said.