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Fall back and ‘Change Your Clocks Change Your Battery’

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This Sunday, Nov. 2, when you change your clocks for the end of Daylight Saving Time, be sure to change the batteries in all the smoke alarms in your house as well. Doing so can save your life.

This marks the 27th year of the “Change Your Clock Change Your Battery” program, sponsored by Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs. The Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program reminds everyone to change and test the batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. The message is simple and the habit can be lifesaving.

Almost two-thirds of home fire deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms. Warnings from smoke alarms alert people to a fire before it spreads, giving everyone enough time to get out safely.

The Cape Coral Fire Department recommends using the extra hour you gain in the fall to:

– Ensure you have smoke alarms installed in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement.

– Replace the batteries in your smoke alarms. Most use one 9-volt battery.

– Make sure everyone in the home knows the sound of the smoke alarm and understands what to do when they hear it.

– Plan two escape routes from your home in the event of a fire and practice them with your family.

– Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or sooner if they don’t respond properly.

Having working smoke alarms in your home is a simple and effective way to double the chances of surviving a home fire. So on Sunday, change your clocks and change your batteries and remind your friends and family to do so, too.

For more information on fire safety, please contact Andrea Schuch, Public Education Specialist/PIO at (239) 242-3303 or aschuch@capecoral.net.