Jackson Fire Department: Change your clock, change your smoke alarm batteries

As the time change approaches on Sunday, November 1st, Fire Official Frank McDonnell wants to remind residents to make another change that could save their lives — changing the batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Communities nationwide witness tragic home fire deaths each year. An average of three children per day die in home fires and 80 percent of those occur in homes without working smoke alarms.
Nonworking smoke alarms rob residents of the protective benefits home fire safety devices were designed to provide. The most commonly cited cause of nonworking smoke alarms: worn or missing batteries. Changing smoke alarm batteries at least once a year is one of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce these tragic deaths and injuries. In fact, working smoke alarms nearly cut in half the risk of dying in a home fire. Additionally, it is recommended replacing your smoke alarms every ten years. To save lives and prevent needless injuries in Jackson, the Jackson Bureau of Fire Safety District 1 & 3 urges all homeowners or tenants to adopt a simple, lifesaving habit: changing your smoke detector batteries when changing your clocks back to standard time each fall, this year on November 1st.
“The peak time for home fire fatalities is between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. when most families are sleeping,” says Fire Official McDonnell. “Smoke alarm maintenance is a simple, effective way to reduce home fire deaths. Children and senior citizens are most at risk, and a working smoke alarm can give them the extra seconds they need to get out safely.” In addition, McDonnell recommends residents use the “extra” hour they save from the time change to test smoke detectors by pushing the test button, planning “two ways out” and practicing escape routes with the entire family. Families should also prepare a fire safety kit that includes working flashlights and fresh batteries.
Tragically, fire can kill selectively. Those most at risk include:

■ Children — Approximately 1,000 children under the age of 20 die each year in home fires. Children under age five are at twice the risk of dying in a home fire. Eighty percent of fatal home fire victims who were children were killed in homes without working smoke alarms.
■ Seniors — Adults over age 75 are three times more likely to die in home fires than the rest of the population; those over 85 are 4.5 times more likely to die in a home fire. Many seniors are unable to escape quickly.
■ Low-Income Households — Many low-income families are unable to afford batteries for their smoke alarms. These same households often rely on poorly installed, maintained or misused portable or area heating equipment — a main cause of fatal home fires.
Having a working smoke alarm installed on every level of your home dramatically increases your chances of survival. Smoke alarm batteries need to be tested every month and changed with new ones twice a year when you change your clocks. Also, consider replacing the entire smoke alarm every ten years, or as the manufacturer guidelines recommend. Please contact Fire Official Frank McDonnell to receive your FREE Smoke Detector (732) 928-1666×14 or fmcdonnell@jacksonfiredistr3.org

Information provided by Fire Official Frank McDonnell of the Jackson Bureau of Fire Safety No. 1 & 3.

JACKSON BUREAU OF FIRE SAFETY
FIRE DISTRICT NO. 1 & 3
200 KIERYCH MEMORIAL DRIVE
JACKSON N.J. 08527
FRANK McDONNELL Phone (732) 928-1666×14 Fax (732) 928-6500
FIRE OFFICIAL fmcdonnell@jacksonfiredist3.org www.jacksonfiredist3.org