Change
Your Clock, Change Your
Batteries
Tracey Martinez, Public Information Officer (PIO)
for San Bernardino County Fire reminds us, Sunday, March 10th
is Daylight Saving Time. It’s time to Spring
Forward one hour. You know what that means, change your clocks, and change
your batteries!
Three out of five home fire deaths resulted from fires
with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms!
This
is especially important if someone in your home smokes. Fires caused by smoking
materials like cigarettes are the leading cause of fire-related deaths;
accounting for 23% of all fatalities (Source: NFPA, U.S. Home Structure Fires).
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Best place to mount your smoke alarm is on the ceiling
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Keep smoke alarms at least 4-6 inches away from the nearest wall
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Always test your newly installed smoke alarm
If
you cannot mount the alarm on the ceiling, install it high on the wall 4-12 inches from the ceiling
It’s simple: the more alarms you have, the greater your chances are
of surviving a fire.
Don’t skimp on smoke alarms around the home!
However, just installing a smoke alarm is NOT enough. It needs to
be tested monthly and the batteries changed every year.
Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old.
As well as working smoke alarms, every household should have an
evacuation plan. Practice it!
Make sure everyone knows how to get out and where to meet. Never
go back inside a burning building!
If someone is missing, inform the dispatcher when you call 9-1-1.
Firefighters have the proper training to perform rescues.
A working
smoke alarm can decrease a family’s risk of dying in a fire by nearly 50
percent.
Batteries from household smoke alarms may be recycled at your
nearest household hazardous waste recycling facility.
For a list of household hazardous waste locations and additional
fire safety information, visit www.sbcfire.org