Op-Eds: Chief: Protect your family from home fires
Published 5:19 pm, Tuesday, November 13, 2012
The Sound Beach Volunteer Fire Department has a simple but powerful reminder for all members of our community. If, in the aftermath of the storm, you didn't change the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors when you changed your clocks for daylight-saving time, please do so as soon as possible, and please remind your friends, family and neighbors to do the same.
Twenty-five years ago, Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) recognized a disturbing trend that many home-fire fatalities were taking place in homes without working smoke alarms. So the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program was developed to help reduce and hopefully, one day, eliminate this problem. Along with thousands of fire departments nationwide, Energizer and the IAFC have been reminding communities to check and change their smoke alarm batteries and to make sure their smoke alarms are working when they set their clocks.
When you change the batteries on your home-fire safety devices this year, inspect the alarms and check the date of manufacture. All electronic devices have a limited life span, so it is important that you replace your older smoke and carbon monoxide alarms with new ones to protect your family.
Smoke alarms need to be replaced every 10 years. If your smoke alarms are 10 years old or older, it is time to replace them! Carbon monoxide alarms need to be replaced every five or seven years, depending on the manufacturer. Check for a date of manufacture on the back of the device, or consult the manufacturer's instructions for the recommended replacement date. If you can't tell how old they are, it's time to replace them.
The Sound Beach Volunteer Fire Department has a limited number of batteries donated by Energizer to distribute to community members at its Open House on Sunday, November 18.
Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in reported home fires in half. As a 27-year fire service veteran, I have witnessed first-hand the tragedy and devastation of home fires. It's even more heartbreaking when a young life is cut short. Thousands are injured and killed each year from home fires. Overall, almost 66 percent of home-fire deaths in this country occur in homes without working smoke alarms.
Considering that residential fire deaths peak in winter months, it's critically important to check and change your smoke alarm batteries each and every fall.
We hope you'll join our fire department, Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs in sharing this life-saving information with your readers and encouraging them to help make a difference in our town.
R. Scott Hawkins is chief of the Sound Beach Volunteer Fire Department.