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Did You Remember To Change The Clock And The Batteries?
November 2, 2008
Daylight Savings Time ended early this morning, so you should have set your clocks back one your. And changed the batteries in your fire alarm.
We all need reminders from time to time. Some can mean the difference between life and death. For the 21st year in a row, the International Association of Fire Chiefs and Energizer have teamed together to support Change Your Clock Change Your Battery. This campaign encourages families to take action in preventing accidental deaths caused by home fires by changing the battery in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.
“The peak time for home fire fatalities is between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. when most families are sleeping,” says Escambia County Fire Chief Ken Perkins. “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.”
Serving as a reminder since 1987, the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program began as a pilot program in St. Louis and Atlanta, and now incorporates more than 6,100 fire departments including the local departments in North Escambia. IAFC and Energizer will encourage families to use Daylight Saving Time as a reminder to change the battery in their smoke alarms when changing their clocks back to Standard Time.
“Hundreds of fatalities occur every year when individuals neglect to ensure their smoke alarms have fresh batteries. The habit of changing batteries during this campaign is a simple step that can help save the lives of so many families each year,” says Chief Larry J. Grorud, CFO, MIFireE, and president of the IAFC.
The IAFC reports that while 96 percent of American homes have at least one smoke alarm, 19 percent of those alarms are not working, mostly due to missing or dead batteries. On average, home fires kill 540 children, 14 and under each year.*
For more information about fire safety, call Escambia County Fire Rescue at(850) 475-5530 or visit the county’s web site at www.myescambia.com
For information about obtaining a free home smoke alarm call 850-595-HERO (4376).
Pictured above: A sign reminded visitors to the Walnut Hill Fire Station’s Annual Fish Fry on Saturday to remember to change their clocks and their smoke alarm batteries. NorthEscambia.com photo.
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