Daylight Saving Time begins this weekend, and Patch urges residents to change the batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors when they spring forward.
The time change will take place at 2 a.m. Sunday.
Do you have enough smoke detectors in your home or business? The Mineola Fire Department has a page dedicated to smoke detectors and fire safety tips.
From the MFD:
Don’t worry if the battery may have “a little juice left” in it: that battery is powering a device that may save your life or the life of someone you love. Batteries are cheap; lives are invaluable. Pop the old battery in a portable radio if you wish, but put a fresh one in your smoke detector.
Ninety percent of fire deaths involving children occur in homes without working smoke detectors.
About two-thirds of our nation's fire deaths happen in the victim's own home. The home is where we are at the greatest risk and where we must take the most precautions. Most deaths occur from inhaling smoke or poisonous gases, not from the flames.
The Mineola Fire Department is joining fire departments all across America in the annual “Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery” campaign. This simple program is designed to save lives by encouraging people to change their smoke alarm battery when they change their clocks forward this month.
The time change takes place this year on Sunday, March 10. Mineola Fire Chief Joseph Pratt is encouraging all residents to adopt this simple, life-saving habit of changing the batteries in their smoke alarms.
“It's a simple and inexpensive way to protect your family and home,” he said.
Since 1987, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and Energizer batteries have joined forces to raise awareness about the issue that non-working smoke alarms are often responsible for home fire deaths and injuries.
Now, thanks to the participation of residents all across America and the dedication of more than 6,000 Fire Departments, home fire deaths continue to be on the decline. Millions of families nationwide are hearing the “Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery” message.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) smoke alarms are present in 96 percent of American homes, but 20 percent do not work due to worn or missing batteries. This means that nearly 19 million homes are at needless risk. Almost two-thirds or 62 percent of reported home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. A working smoke alarm can often provide critical extra seconds needed to get out safely.
