The Monroe Fire Department urges everyone to participate in a nationwide campaign sponsored by the International Association of Fire Chiefs and Energizer brand batteries known as Change Your Clock Change Your Battery. This weekend is the end of Daylight Saving Time and is a great opportunity to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms when you change the time on your clocks.
Fire typically kills more Americans each year than all natural disasters combined and over eighty percent of these deaths occur in residences, with most deaths occurring at night when people are sleeping. Having a working smoke alarm doubles a families chances of escaping, thus surviving a home fire*, but only if it works. While an estimated 96 percent of American homes do have smoke alarms, approximately 19 percent of these do not work due to worn out or missing batteries.
“I urge everyone to participate in this simple and potentially lifesaving habit,”
stated Monroe Fire Chief Ron Fowler. “Having working smoke alarms greatly increases the chance of survival in a home fire, and we certainly want everyone to be as safe as possible.”
The National Fire Protection Association reports that a home fire death occurs somewhere in the nation approximately every three hours. In fact, home fires kill 540 children, 14 years old and under, each year. Having a working smoke alarm can provide those crucial extra seconds to escape a burning home. Therefore, it is critical for families to adopt the life-saving habit of the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program to make sure they take this one simple step to help keep their families safe.
The Monroe Fire Department provides and installs smoke alarms and batteries at no cost for anyone needing this service. Any person needing a smoke alarm or assistance with changing their batteries may contact the Monroe Fire Department at (704) 282-4726.
*Statistics provided by the National Fire Protection Association
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