Change Your Clocks, Change Your Batteries

Daylight Savings Time begins this year on March 9th at 2AM.  Just as we change our clocks each spring, the Lisle-Woodridge Fire District wants to remind residents to make another change that could save their lives – changing the batteries in their smoke alarms.

An average of three children die per day in house fires and 82 percent of those occur in homes without working smoke alarms.  Non-working smoke alarms rob residents of the protective benefits home fire safety devices were designed to provide.  The most commonly cited cause of non-working smoke alarms: worn or missing batteries.

Changing smoke alarm batteries at least once a year is one of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce these tragic deaths and injuries.  In fact, working smoke alarms nearly cut in half the risk of dying in a home fire.  Additionally, experts recommend replacing your smoke alarms every ten years. 

To save lives and prevent needless injuries, the Lisle-Woodridge Fire District urges all Americans to adopt a simple, lifesaving habit: changing smoke alarm batteries when changing clocks each spring.  Working smoke alarms provide an early warning and critical extra seconds to escape.  This is particularly important for those most at risk of dying in a home fire, such as children and seniors.

In addition, The Lisle-Woodridge Fire District recommends residents use this time of year to test smoke alarms by pushing the test button, planning “two ways out” and practicing those escape routes with the entire family.

Tragically, fire can kill selectively. Those most at risk include:

Children – Approximately 1,000 children under the age of 15 die each year in home fires.  Fire is the third leading cause of accidental deaths among children under age five, placing them at twice the risk of dying in a home fire

Seniors – Adults over age 75 are three times more likely to die in home fires than the rest of the population; those over 85 are 4.6 times more likely to die in a home fire.  Many seniors are unable to escape quickly.

Low-Income Households – Many low-income families are unable to afford batteries for their smoke alarms.  These same households often rely on poorly installed, maintained or misused portable or area heating equipment – a main cause of fatal home fires.

Families should also prepare a fire safety kit that includes working flashlights and fresh batteries.  For more information about fire safety, call the Fire Prevention Bureau at 630-353-3030.