Police

When ‘springing forward,’ check smoke and CO detector batteries

(Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
(Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

North Forkers may be losing an hour of sleep Saturday night for daylight saving time, but fire officials say one simple step could prevent homeowners from losing a lot more. 

When New Yorkers move their clocks forward one hour forward at 2 a.m. on Sunday, they should also check the batteries in their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, according to the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York.

In more than one-third of home fire deaths, no smoke alarms were present, according to FASNY. In one-quarter of home fire deaths, smoke alarms were present but didn’t make a sound and 36 percent of fatal fire victims don’t wake up before being injured, the fireman’s association said.

“If there is a fire in the home and an existing alarm does not sound, the top three reasons are: disconnected; missing; or dead batteries,” said FASNY president James Burns. “Now, when you are adjusting your clocks to Daylight Savings Time, is the perfect opportunity to check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and replace the batteries. Too often we have seen fire and carbon monoxide lead to preventable tragedy brought about by the lack of a functioning detector.”

For more information on smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and other information about fire safety and prevention, visit www.fasny.com or www.nfpa.org.

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