It’s almost time to change your clock for Daylight Standard Time, and normally fire departments across the nation remind the public to “Change your clock, change your battery.” This year it’s a little different.
Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue would like to encourage the public at this time to – Change your clock – change your smoke alarms if they are 10 years or older*. Smoke alarms have a life expectancy of about 10 years. As they age, the wiring, sensor, and other components begin to wear out.
If you have an older 9-volt battery smoke alarm, take time this weekend to purchase and install a long-life lithium battery smoke alarm. Most smoke alarms you can purchase these days have long-life batteries that help ensure many years of protection without a battery change. In addition, many of these alarms include a ‘hush’ button that, when cooking smoke or shower steam sets off the alarm, can be pushed to deactivate the alarm for up to 15 minutes. The smoke alarm will then reset itself automatically.
Fire kills more than 4,000 people each year, and ironically, most fire deaths occur in the very place where we feel safest — our own homes. Home fires often happen at night when people are sleeping. In only three minutes, a home can fill with deadly smoke, blocking escape routes and threatening your life. Working smoke alarms help ensure that you and your family have time to escape and double your chances of escaping a fire. Working smoke alarms coupled with fire sprinklers increase your chances of surviving a fire by 82%.
To protect your family:
- Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, in each bedroom, and outside any sleeping areas.
- Test your smoke alarm monthly – push the ‘test’ button until it sounds. Include your children so they begin recognize the sound.
- Change batteries in 9-volt smoke alarms once a year—or better yet—consider installing smoke alarms with a long-life lithium battery and ‘hush’ button.
- Replace your smoke alarm if it’s over 10 years old.
- Never remove the battery for false alarms. Instead, fan the smoke or steam or open a window.
For more in-depth safety tips about smoke alarms visit Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue’s website HERE.
* To determine the manufacture date of your smoke alarm, check the back or inside cover. For quality control purposes, smoke alarms listed by Underwriters Laboratory and other national companies are required to have a manufacturing date (or code that can be traced back to the manufacturing date) on the device.
