Time Change Reminder: Protect Your Home with Working Smoke Alarms
When you set your clocks back this weekend for Daylight Saving Time, take a moment to check your smoke alarms. Fall is a great time for this because cooler weather means more time spent indoors, cooking, heating your home, and enjoying seasonal activities. According to the National Fire Protection Association, working smoke alarms cut your risk of dying in a home fire in half, yet nearly one-third of home fire deaths happen in homes without working alarms.
To keep your home safe, test your alarms by pressing the button, replace batteries if needed, and make sure you have a working alarm on every level of your home, inside bedrooms, and outside sleeping areas. Be sure to check less-used areas such as basements or attics, where alarms are often overlooked. Smoke alarms can fail for many reasons, including old batteries, dust, or worn-out sensors, so regular checks are critical. They should be replaced every ten years to ensure they continue to protect your family.
A functioning smoke alarm does more than warn you. It gives you and your loved ones precious time to escape. Even a few seconds can make the difference between life and tragedy in a fire. While cooking or showering, do not remove batteries to silence alarms. Temporary silence features are safer and help keep your home protected.
As you fall back this weekend, take a moment for safety too. A quick check of your smoke alarms is a small effort that could save lives. Keeping your family safe is as simple as one beep.
You can learn more about fire alarms by visiting townofclaytonnc.org/SmokeAlarms.
