Friday 2 November 2007Tennessee State Fire Marshal Leslie A. Newman would like to remind Tennesseans to “Change Your Clocks Change Your Batteries” this Sunday for daylight savings time. Most home fires occur at night when people are sleeping. The smoke and toxic gases generated by a fire can cause you to sleep more deeply making the chances of survival worse. A working smoke alarm will double your survival chances by giving you the critical time needed to escape before it’s too late. Nationally more than 90 percent of all homes have smoke alarms but it is estimated that one-third of them don’t work due to old or missing batteries. It is critical to replace batteries regularly-even if they appear to be working fine. Twice a year is recommended. This reduces the “chirping” indicating low batteries. All too often the battery is removed and not replaced putting the occupants at risk. There’s no way to predict when a fire will occur and one night without a working smoke alarm is dangerous. Replacing batteries during daylight savings time is an easy way to remember that task.
