Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery!

Spring time is upon us and it is time to change our clocks again. Daylight Savings Time ends this Sunday, March 9th and clocks will be set forward one hour. This year marks the 26th anniversary of the “Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery” program, created by Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC). This campaign reminds people to check and change the batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors during the spring time change. It’s quick and easy—and it could save your life!

Remember these tips about smoke alarms:
• Have smoke alarms on every level of your home, especially outside sleeping area and preferably inside bedrooms as well.
• Test them at least once a month, and replace batteries when you set your clocks for Daylight Savings Time.
• Replace all detectors after 10 years.
• Whenever a smoke alarm beeps, take it seriously. It might just be a false alarm from cooking, temperature changes, or dust—but you can’t afford to ignore the alert. Everyone in the family needs to react immediately.
• Develop and practice a home escape plan. Make sure your family knows two ways out of each room, a safe meeting place outside, how to call 9-1-1 once they’re out, and why they should NEVER go back into a burning house.

Lynn Fuller, owner of Batteries Direct in Parkersburg, takes smoke detector safety very seriously. He has donated 800 batteries to the fire department to be used in homes of Parkersburg residents.

“If you are not physically able to change your smoke detector batteries or not able to afford them, during the month of March, the Parkersburg Fire Department will send a fire engine to your home and replace the batteries,” said Fire Chief Eric Taylor.

To schedule battery replacements, Parkersburg residents should call the fire chief’s office at 304-424-8470.

“While thinking about fire safety, we also ask that you take a few minutes to create a home fire escape plan for your family,” adds Taylor.

To download a free home fire escape plan, visit the Fire Safety section of our webiste: www.OnlyMinutesAway.com