The Michigan City Fire Department would like to remind everyone that daylight savings will March 13th. We encourage you to use this weekend as a reminder to change your batteries in your smoke detectors.
If you do have smoke alarms, make sure they are working properly and have fresh batteries. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), two-thirds of fire deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms.
When changing clocks ahead one hour for Daylight Saving Time this weekend, replace the batteries in alarms. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Housing Survey for 2011, only three out of four homes reported they changed the batteries in their smoke alarms in the last six months. Batteries need to be replaced in alarms every year. In addition, CPSC recommends that consumers test their alarms every month to make sure they are working.
Smoke alarms should be placed on every level of the home, inside each bedroom, and outside sleeping areas.