At 2.10 am on Sunday, November 2, 2014 we will be going back to regular time from daylight saving time. This is a good time to replace batteries in all fire/carbon monoxide alarms. Make this a habit and you will rest easy knowing that you and your family are well protected. I have made it a habit to buy new batteries when shopping for “Super Bowl” stuff and when shopping for Halloween candy. A few dollars added to the budget but lives saved. Carpe diem my readers, carpe diem.
2500 hundred lives are lost each year due to faulty, non working alarms. These are needless deaths and I will bet there is someone who lost loved ones who keeps thinks – “If only I had……” you can imagine the agony. Sure it always happens to the other guy but, what if you are the unfortunate other guy?
The association of fire chiefs recommends changing batteries every time we change time settings. That is changing batteries two times a year. Some of you may think it excessive, but I assure you it is not. Better to be safe than sorry. After you install new batteries, make sure you test them by using the test button. Fire chiefs also recommend testing each alarm at least once a month. I do this without fail and ask all of you to join me. Think of pressing the button as hitting the button during “Jeopardy” – answer “the button on this device alerted me my house was on fire”. Question “what is the test button on a fire alarm?”. Simple is it not?