Spring Forward For Fire Safety:
Change Your Smoke Detector Batteries As You Change Your Clocks

Daylight Saving Time means setting the clocks forward and it’s chance to consider fire safety. The Syosset Volunteer Fire Department (SFD) wants to remind you that while it is important to have smoke detectors installed throughout your house, it is not enough to simply install and forget about them. Twice a year, it is critical that you test your smoke detectors and replace their batteries. An easy way to tackle this task is to change your smoke detector batteries as you go through your house to change your clocks. At the same time, it can be helpful to dust or vacuum the detectors to keep them free of debris that can interfere with the their operation. Establishing this habit twice a year could save the lives of you and your loved ones.

“The importance of smoke detectors and their upkeep cannot be emphasized enough,” said Ken Johnson, fire education specialist with the SFD, who visited Southwoods Middle School in Syosset to talk about fire safety. “Most fires occur between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., leaving the smoke detector as the first line of defense while you’re sleeping,” he said. More than half of home fire deaths result from fires in the homes with no smoke alarms. Eighty-six percent of all homes in the United States have at least one smoke detector but a third of them do not work. Most smoke detector failures are attributed to a lack of annual battery replacement. With Daylight Saving Time upon us, it is a good reminder to change those batteries. Should you neglect to change your smoke detector’s batteries, the device may make a chirping sound to alert you that the battery is running low. One should not rely solely on that warning noise. It is always better to proactively change the battery every six months. Once your smoke detectors have been cleaned and their batteries replaced, ensure that everyone in your household is familiar with the sound the smoke alarm emits and knows how to react immediately.

“The message of prevention is the most important one we can send out,” said Chief John Capobianco, Chief of Department of the Syosset Fire Department. “Every home should be equipped with a working smoke detector with everyone aware of fire safety practices.”

Click here for more detailed Smoke Detector safety information

In addition to replacing smoke detector batteries, spring is a good time to rid your home of fire hazards that exist in the form of grease, grime, and dust that builds up on appliance cords and in hidden corners of the house. The SFD offers some ways to consider fire safety while doing your spring cleaning this year.