CHANGE YOUR CLOCK-CHANGE YOUR BATTERY

CHANGE YOUR CLOCK-CHANGE YOUR BATTERY

As the time approaches on Sunday, October 30 to set clocks back one hour for daylight savings, the San José Fire Department wants to remind residents to make another change that could save their lives – changing their batteries in their smoke alarms.

Communities nationwide witness tragic home fire deaths each year. An average of three children per day die in home fires and 80 percent of those occur in homes without working smoke alarms. Non-working smoke alarms rob residents of the protective benefits home fire safety devices were designed to provide. The most commonly cited cause of non-working smoke alarms is worn or missing batteries.

Changing alarm batteries at least once a year is one of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce these tragic deaths and injuries. In fact, working smoke alarms nearly cut in half the risk of dying in a home fire. Additionally, the San José Fire Department recommends replacing your smoke alarm every ten years.

“The peak time for home fire fatalities is between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. when most families are sleeping,” says San José Fire Chief Jeffrey L. Clet. “Smoke alarm maintenance is a simple, effective way to reduce home fire deaths. Children and senior citizens are most at risk, and a working smoke alarm can give them the extra seconds they need to get out of the home safely.”


Sources: National Fire Protection Association, International Association of Fire Chiefs, Sense of Smell Institute and Energizer