City firefighters remind residents to Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® November 4 | Community

Free batteries will be distributed at Fire Station Open House October 13, 2012

Sacramento, CA – The Sacramento Fire Department reminds residents to replace the batteries in all of your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when you move your clock back an hour on Sunday, November 4.  To help promote this important effort, Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs have donated a limited number of batteries to the Sacramento Fire Department for distribution to city residents. 

While supplies last, residents can pick up a free 9 volt battery at an open house event at Fire Station 4, located at 3145 Granada Way in midtown, on Saturday, October 13, 2012 from 2 to 5 p.m.

“It is important to note that smoke detectors save lives,” said Chief Ray Jones.  “It is estimated that 65 percent of home fire deaths occur in homes that don't have a working smoke detector. Smoke detectors alert people to fire in its early stages, giving people the time needed to escape safely. It is critical for every home to have working smoke detectors in all required locations, including bedrooms.” 

Beginning January 1, 2013, carbon monoxide detectors will be required in all dwellings.  Carbon monoxide (CO) is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in the United States.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that, each year, CO poisoning kills more than 400 people in the United States, and a majority of these deaths occur in residential settings.  The only safe way to detect carbon monoxide in a home is with working carbon monoxide detectors.

The Sacramento Fire Department offers the following tips for making sure the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home are maintained and working properly:

• Install smoke detectors in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of the home.  Carbon monoxide detectors should be installed on every level of a home and near sleeping areas to help keep families safe.
• Test your detectors at least once a month using the test button, and make sure everyone in your home knows their sound.
• Replace batteries in all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors at least once a year.
• If the detector “chirps,” warning the battery is low, replace the battery right away.
• Replace all detectors, including detectors that use 10-year batteries or that are hard-wired, when they are ten years old (or sooner) if they do not respond properly when tested.

Other Simple Home Fire Safety Tips:

• Plan, discuss and practice an escape route with your family for dangerous situations such as home fires, carbon monoxide leaks and natural disasters.
• Do not rely on your sense of smell to alert you that you and/or your family are in danger of being trapped during a fire or from a carbon monoxide leak.
• Use flashlights or flameless candles rather than candles to light your home during power outages.
• Carbon monoxide detectors are NOT substitutes for smoke alarms.

Source: Sacramento Fire Department