Change Your Clocks - Change Your Batteries - Test Your Alarms

Halton Hills Fire Chief Brent Marshall wishes to remind everyone of an ideal opportunity that, when changing your clocks, change your batteries and test your smoke alarms.

Sunday November 7, 2010, the clocks are turned back one hour and Fire Chief Brent Marshall says, “This is an excellent opportunity to remind ourselves to change the batteries in our smoke alarms, then test to ensure they will sound”. The Fire Chief adds, ”Testing the smoke alarm can be as easy as holding a lit incense stick underneath the alarm, allowing the smoke to drift upwards until it sounds the alarm”. Hearing the beep, beep, beep may not be music to your ears, but it is the sound that can wake you and save your life in the event of a fire in your home.

Smoke alarms have a life span of 7-10 years, at which time it is strongly recommended to replace them. Dust, spider webs and insects and different environmental atmospheres can affect the performance of the smoke alarm, usually noted by false activations. These can sometimes be eliminated with periodic dusting and vacuuming of the devices. Vacuuming the alarm when doing the monthly test would definitely help eliminate any false activations while getting rid of cobwebs or little insects.

Mayor Rick Bonnette also reminds everyone that “Working smoke alarms save lives and reduce injuries by providing early detection of smoke, sounding an alarm and giving you ample time to safely evacuate your home”. The Ontario Fire Code requires a working smoke alarm on every floor of your home, and outside any sleeping area.

Every bit as important to having working smoke alarms, is having a well rehearsed home escape plan. The development and rehearsal of your home escape plan can ensure a quick, safe evacuation of family members from a burning home. However, adults and children need to plan, as well as practice their home escape plan in order to get out alive.

More information and assistance with smoke alarms, home escape plans and fire safety concerns are available at the Information Centre in the Georgetown Market Place, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 – 2:00.

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