Clearwater, Fla. – Daylight saving begins on Sunday, March 11th, so when you set your clock ahead an hour Saturday night, don’t forget to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms.
“Daylight saving is a great reminder to change the batteries in your smoke and CO alarms. A good battery is essential to the effectiveness of these defense devices,” said Clearwater Fire Marshal Steve Strong.
Working alarms alert families to fires or a buildup of dangerous carbon monoxide in the home.
Two-thirds of residential fire deaths occur in homes where there are no working smoke alarms.
Smoke alarms should be placed on every level of the home both inside and outside bedrooms. Smoke alarms have a ten-year life span.
If your smoke alarm was installed before March 2002; it is time for a new one.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates an annual average of 183 unintentional non-fire CO poisoning deaths.
CO is known as the invisible killer because it is colorless and odorless.
People may not know they are being poisoned.
CO alarms should be placed on each level of the home and outside bedrooms.