Keep your family fire-safe with this one simple step –
Daylight savings time ends this Sunday, Nov. 4 at 2 a.m. When you set your clocks backward one hour, please make another change that could save your life – change the batteries in your smoke alarm and your carbon monoxide alarm, says Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit Chief Nancy Koerperich.Although smoke alarms are in 92 percent of American homes, many do not work simply because the battery is dead or has been removed.
A working smoke alarm provides an early warning of a home fire and critical extra seconds for you to escape. If you do not have a smoke alarm or a carbon monoxide alarm in your home, now is the perfect time to purchase and install them.
This is also an excellent opportunity to practice your family fire escape plan. Please take a moment out of your busy schedule to practice and learn this life saving technique. Only twenty three percent of households have actually developed and practiced a home fire escape plan to ensure they could escape quickly and safely.
One-third of American households surveyed estimated they would have at least 6 minutes before a fire in their home would become life-threatening. The time available to escape a home fire is often less. Only eight percent surveyed said their first thought on hearing a smoke alarm would be to get out!
Sunday, Nov. 4, when you change your clocks, don’t forget to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and practice your fire escape plan.
