Daylight Saving: Time to Change Clocks, Test Smoke Alarms

Submitted by the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company

Daylight-saving time ends Sunday, November 4, and the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company wants to remind residents to change and test the batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. This message is simple and the habit can be lifesaving. 

Everyone is encouraged to use the extra hour they “gain” from daylight-saving time to change the batteries in their own smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, test the alarms and remind friends, family and neighbors to do the same. Residents should also plan and practice escape routes and prepare a fire safety kit that includes working flashlights and fresh batteries.

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:  worn or missing batteries. A working smoke detector doubles your chance of surviving a home fire. Eighty percent of child fire fatalities occur in homes without working smoke alarms.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® program, sponsored by Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

Change Your Clock Change Your Battery, November 4

Additionally, the International Association of Fire Chiefs recommends that smoke alarms in homes should be replaced every 10 years and having both ionization and photo electric smoke alarms are best to alert people to all types of home fires.

The peak time for home fire fatalities is between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most families are sleeping. 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 safely.

According to National Fire Protection Association statistics, home fires injure and kill thousands each year. Those most at risk include:

Children — Home fires kill 500 children ages 14 and under each year. Roughly three-quarters of child fire fatalities under age 15 occurred in homes without working smoke alarms.

Seniors — Adults 75 and older are 2.8 times more likely to die in a home fire.

Twenty-five years ago, Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs recognized a disturbing trend that many home fire fatalities were taking place in homes without working smoke alarms. So through the years, the two have worked together along with thousands of fire departments nationwide on the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® program to help reduce this number by reminding communities to check, change and test their smoke alarm batteries.