There are pagers which vibrate on alarm activation which are affected by gerenal fire alarms as far as I am aware. It may be worth contacting the RNID for equipment available to assist the person. Certain locations may have flashing lights but this is not necessary for all fire alarm systems unless via a risk assessment there is a risk not to have one. Also surely all fire doors automatically release if they are locked electronically on activation. Hope this helps

Max

Does the employee you write about have any hearing capacity at all or is he profoundly deaf? If he has some hearing, even though limited and enabled via hearing aids or a cochlea implant, he may well be able to detect loud noises such as a fire alarm sounding. Therefore, it may be appropriate for his line manager and/or you to have a word with him about his capacity in relation to a PEEP (personal emergency evacuation plan) if this hasn't already been pursued. Many hearing-impaired people (like myself) have digital hearing aids which are set to match the degree of hearing impairment, and therefore don't need PEEPs. Thus, if the employee can discern a fire alarm sounding at his usual base premises and there are sufficient sounders in the areas where he works and visits, including washrooms, etc, there might be no need for a PEEP. However, if he has no hearing, the PEEP for him at his usual base premises might need be no more than simply ensuring that appropriate fellow employees are 1) aware of his condition and 2) know how to alert him if and when the fire alarm sounds.

A variant of the same PEEP could be used for his visits to schools. If he visits when schools are operating and works in areas where other people are present, it may be sufficient for him to advise relevant people on arrival. For visits during school holidays, it is likely that at least one other person such as a caretaker or site manager will be present to let him into the building/s, and will know of his presence and condition. During such times surely the likelihood of fire occurring will be very low, especially if he is working alone. If other work is being carried out and raises the likelihood/risk to some extent, then it's also likely that others will be present. If so, they can be told of the employee's condition and asked to assist in the event of fire.

Also, as other responders have already suggested, it's appropriate to look into the availability of small portable devices which detect alarm sounds and can vibrate, and likewise dedicated pager systems linked to fixed or temporary transmitters. The RNID website is worth a look, especially as the different types of equipment available these days seem increasingly impressive.