The catchy phrase “spring ahead, fall back” is a good reminder for setting clocks to reflect the beginning and end of Daylight Savings Time. But fire officials everywhere would love to tack on an extra reminder to check or change smoke alarm batteries, too. It’s not as catchy, but “change your clock, change your batteries” serves as a reminder that could save lives. And since Daylight Savings Time just began a few days ago, it’s still a good idea to check those batteries.
Local fire departments often will change faulty smoke detectors. Contact your local fire department to learn more about this program.
According to N.C. Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, “changing your clock either back or forward should be like tying a string around your finger to remember to check your smoke alarm battery. The two practices need to go hand in hand.” Causey also is the state fire marshal.
“Changing the battery routinely is an important step to keep your home and everyone inside safe. Smoke alarms cut the chances of dying in a fire in half, but they have to be in proper working condition in order to do their job,” Causey said in a press statement.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, families have an average of three minutes to get out of their homes once their smoke alarm sounds due to fire. However, those life-saving minutes only occur when alarms are fully powered and operational.
There were 134 fire deaths in North Carolina in 2021, and in many of those incidents, a proper-working smoke alarm was not inside the home. So far this year, there have been 31 fire deaths.
The NFPA reports three out of every five home fire deaths across the nation resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
Dead batteries caused one-quarter of the smoke alarm failures. Hardwired power source problems caused 7 percent of the failures. The rest of the failures occurred because of defective or improperly installed alarms.
Causey offered these tips in addition to checking and changing smoke alarm batteries:
- Place a smoke alarm on every level of your home outside sleeping areas. If you keep bedroom doors shut, place a smoke alarm in each bedroom.
- Teach children what the smoke alarm sounds like and what to do when they hear it.
- Prepare and practice an escape plan – know at least two ways to get out of a room, crawl low under smoke and plan where to meet outside.
- Keep smoke alarms clean by regularly vacuuming over and around it. Dust and debris can interfere with its operation.
- Install smoke alarms away from windows, doors, or ducts that can interfere with their operation.
- Never remove the battery from or disable a smoke alarm. If your smoke alarm is sounding “nuisance alarms,” try locating it further from kitchens or bathrooms.
- Test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms once a month to make sure they’re in proper working order.
Visit website smoke alarms page to learn more.