With the end of daylight savings time coming on Nov. 5, the Park Forest Fire Department is reminding residents to check their smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms and change the batteries when they change their clocks.
This Sunday, clocks will "fall" back an hour as the Village returns to standard time. Deputy Fire Chief Mark Cotrano said this is a great time to remember to check and change the batteries in smoke and CO alarms.
“'Change Your Clocks, Change Your Batteries,'” is a slogan created by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to assist residents in remembering to change their smoke detectors batteries," Cotrano said. "Having a working smoke detector is a very important part in early detection during a fire."
According to NFPA, an average of 1,450 fire deaths occur yearly in homes with missing or non-functioning alarms. Cotrano said working smoke detectors save lives.
"We recommend changing your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detector batteries twice a year, and for smoke detectors that are newer 10 year sealed batteries, we recommend testing them on a monthly basis," Cotrano said.
Cotrano reiterated it's essential for all homes and apartments to have smoke alarms. Additionally, he said it is strongly recommended people also have CO alarms. He said homes with equipment like furnaces, stoves, generators, and gas water heaters must install carbon monoxide detectors to help prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
If you're unsure when you should replace your batteries, Cotrano said a good indicator is when the alarm makes a chirping sound. He said that's usually a warning sign it is time to change the batteries in both alarms.