Full Notification

The City of Folsom Fire Department is joining nearly 6,000 fire departments nationwide in promoting the annual Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery campaign on Sunday November 3, 2013.

Fire Chief Ron Phillips encourages all residents to adopt the simple, life-saving habit of changing smoke alarm batteries when they change their clocks back from daylight savings time to standard time. “It’s an easy, inexpensive, and proven way to protect your family and your home,” said Chief Phillips. Since 1987, the International Association of Fire Chiefs has spread the message that non-working smoke alarms are responsible for needless home fire deaths and injuries.

Now, 25 years later, thanks to the Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery campaign, home fire deaths continue to decline. Recent surveys conducted for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Consumer Products Safety Commission found that 96% of all homes have at least one smoke alarm, but only 75% have at least one working smoke alarm. Almost two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.

Smoke alarm failures usually result from missing or dead batteries or disconnected wires. The peak time for home fire fatalities is between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. when most families are sleeping. A working smoke alarm can provide the critical extra seconds needed to get people out safely.

According to the NFPA, the maximum life cycle of a smoke alarm is 10 years from the date of manufacture, not the date of installation.

Beginning in 2002, all smoke alarms must have a manufacture date marked on the outside of the smoke alarm. If your smoke alarm does not have a manufacture date, then it is older than 10 years and should be replaced. The City of Folsom Fire Department recommends purchasing smoke alarms with 10-year lithium batteries.

All smoke alarms should be tested monthly to ensure that they are functional and well maintained.

For more information on home fire safety, or to request assistance with checking smoke detectors and batteries, please contact the City of Folsom Fire Department at (916) 351-3453.

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