Spring Forward to Change Your Smoke Alarms

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On Sunday, March 11, 2012, we are once again changing our clocks forward one hour; we also need to check the batteries in our smoke alarms! Working smoke alarms are extremely important in providing you early warning to get out and stay out. Every home needs at least one smoke alarm on each level of the home and close to sleeping areas. A smoke alarm is the first sound that there is a problem; everyone needs to know what the alarm sounds like.

In a fire, smoke and deadly gases tend to spread farther and faster than heat which is why a smoke alarm is critical for your family's safety. There are two main types of smoke alarms in which to choose from; ionization (flaming fires) and photoelectric (smoldering fires). It is best to have both types within your home – but the main thing is to have smoke alarms. There are some smoke alarms that have a 10-year lithium battery and there is NO need to change these batteries every year. After 10 years you replace the smoke alarm with a new one. Ten years is the recommended time frame to replace all smoke alarms.

In addition to having smoke alarms, make sure to prepare and practice a home escape plan with everyone in the home. Having an outside meeting place is very important so everyone knows to go outside and stay out! Other safety issues are to check your home heating and cooling systems, keep an eye on items cooking, check electrical cords/lighting, and keep heat sources away from upholstered furniture, mattresses and bedding.

Start spring off to a great start, do a little fire safety spring cleaning and make sure your home is safe all year long. A working smoke alarm can decrease a family's risk of dying in a fire by nearly 50 percent. Batteries from household smoke alarms may be recycled at your nearest household recycling facility. For a list of household hazardous waste locations and additional fire safety information, visit our website at www.sbcfire.org.