Change Your Clock - Change the Batteries in Your Smoke & CO Detectors This Weekend
The time change this weekend is a great way to remember to change not only your clocks, but also the batteries in your smoke and CO detectors and practice your family escape plan
Posted on: March 9, 2012 - 8:47am
Friday - March 9, 2012
Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery on Sunday, March 11th
The Waltham Fire Department and the State Fire Marshal's Office remind you to check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors this weekend and change the batteries in these devices. It is also a great time to practice your family's home escape plan.
“Every second weekend in March, we turn the clocks ahead one hour. This is a good time to change the batteries in our smoke and carbon monoxide alarms,” said State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan. “March is one of the months where many fatal fires occur. They happen where we feel safest – at home – and at night when most people are sleeping. Making sure the smoke alarms are working is a simple, effective way to help your family survive an unexpected fire,” said Coan. Coan added, “Remember that on Sunday, March 11, when you Change Your Clocks, Change Your Batteries.”
“A working smoke alarm can double your family’s chance of surviving a fire and when combined with a home escape plan that is actually practiced, the chances are greater,” said Coan. “Many smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms in our homes either run on battery power or have a battery back-up in case the power fails” said Coan. Not all smoke and carbon monoxide alarms use batteries, but many do. Some have a 10-year lithium battery that only needs to be changed once a decade.
Coan said, “When you change the batteries on your home fire safety devices this year, inspect the alarms and check the date of manufacture. All electronic devices have a limited life span, so it is important that you replace your older smoke and carbon monoxide alarms with new ones to protect your family.”
Smoke alarms need to be replaced every ten years. If your smoke alarm is ten years old or older, it is time to replace them! Carbon monoxide alarms need to be replaced every five or seven years, depending on the manufacturer. Check for a date of manufacture on the back of the device, or consult the manufacturer’s instructions for the recommended replacement date. If you can’t tell how old they are, it’s time to replace them.
For more information on smoke alarms go to www.mass.gov/dfs and click on Fire Safety Topics then Smoke Alarms.