Sycamore, IL. March 5, 2020– The Sycamore Fire Department would like to remind residents that on Sunday, March 8, 2020, clocks will be moved one hour ahead due to daylight savings time. The importance of this reminder is to also remember to change the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.
Batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors should be changed at least twice a year, even if the detectors are hardwired into the electrical system. In the case of hardwired detectors, the battery will keep the detector functioning in the event of a power failure. A good time to remember to check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and change the batteries is when you change your clocks twice a year as daylight savings time begins and ends. In addition to changing the batteries twice a year, you should test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors every month by simply holding down the test button. Because dust and cobwebs can impair the sensitivity of a smoke or carbon monoxide detector, vacuum your detectors at least once a year. Also, never paint over a smoke or Carbon Monoxide detector. In order to maintain the highest level of protection, the Sycamore Fire Department recommends that your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors should be replaced every 5-10 years.
It is important to remember that smoke detectors save lives every day. Roughly two-thirds of home fire deaths occurred in homes without working smoke detectors. Since most fatal fires occur at night, it’s essential that every home have working smoke detectors to provide an early warning. Working smoke detectors increase the chance of surviving a home fire by 50 percent.
The minimal effort required to change a few batteries could mean the difference between life and death. The Sycamore Fire Department has long advocated the ‘Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery’ campaign, as a smoke or carbon monoxide detector is one of the cheapest and most effective ways homeowners can provide year-round fire and carbon monoxide protection for themselves and their families. Every year lives are lost in homes without smoke or Carbon Monoxide detectors or those homes with a non-functioning smoke or carbon monoxide detector.
Smoke carbon monoxide detectors unquestionably help save lives, but they are useless without working batteries inside of them. Just a few minutes twice a year to change that battery can truly mean the difference between life and death. Save a life; when you change your clocks, change your smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries.
For more information on smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detectors, please contact the Sycamore Fire Department at (815) 895-4514, or visit us on Facebook at City of Sycamore Fire Department for occasional postings.
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