Reminder: On November 6, Change Your Clock Change Your Battery®

Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, Nov. 6, a good time to remember to change and test the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. The message is simple and the habit can be lifesaving. This is the 29th year of the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® program, sponsored by Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

The Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company wants to remind residents that one simple step can help save lives and the lives of those around you. Everyone is encouraged to use the extra hour “gained” from Daylight Saving Time to change the batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, test alarms and remind friends, family, neighbors and fellow community members to do the same.

According to the National Fire Protection Agency, 71% of smoke alarms which failed to operate had missing, disconnected or dead batteries. Changing smoke alarm batteries at least once a year, testing those alarms and reminding others to do the same are some of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce these tragic deaths and injuries.

The peak time for home fire fatalities is between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most families are sleeping. Tragically, home fires injure and kill thousands each year. Those most at risk include:

· Children — Home fires kill 500 children ages 14 and under each year. Roughly three‐quarters of child fire fatalities under age 15 occurred in homes without working smoke alarms.

· Seniors — Adults 75 and older are 2.8 times more likely to die in a home fire.

Twenty‐nine years ago, Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs recognized a disturbing trend that many home fire fatalities were taking place in homes without working smoke alarms. A working smoke detector doubles your chance of surviving a home fire.