West Point Fire Department
"Together in fire and life safety"
Fire Safety At Home
Change your clock, change your batteries
In conjunction with Ohio’s fire departments and the Safe & Sound
campaign, the Division of State Fire Marshal encourages Ohioans to make a
habit of changing the batteries in their smoke detectors at least twice
a year – at the beginning and end of daylight savings time.
“Smoke alarms are the first warning sign of a fire. These devices give
you potentially lifesaving seconds to escape,” Marshal Flowers said.
“However, the alarms have to be working
in order to warn you. That’s why testing them is an important first step
in preparing for a fire.”
For the greatest protection, install a smoke detector on every level of
your home and inside and outside of each sleeping area. In addition,
Ohioans are encouraged to develop an escape plan with two ways out and
make sure every family member knows what to do and where to meet outside
if the fire alarm sounds. Take time to practice both a primary and
secondary escape plan, so that if a real emergency occurred, you and
your family know what to do.
Marshal Flowers offers these additional tips:
- Test smoke alarms at least once each month to ensure that they are working properly.
- Vacuum the dust from inside the detector at least once every year.
- Never “borrow” a smoke detector’s battery for another use.
- Change batteries twice a year or if a detector “chirps” to signal low battery power.
- If you have a smoke alarm that was installed before March 13, 2006, replace the entire unit this weekend.