You Changed Your Clock -- Have You Changed Your Alarm Batteries?

Happy Daylight Savings Time! 

You changed your clocks last night. Now the wants to remind you to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. 

The following is a press release from Lisle-Woodridge with more information: 

On average of three children die each day in home fires and 82 percent of those occur in homes without working smoke alarms. Non-working smoke and CO alarms rob residents of the protective benefits the home fire safety devices were designed to provide.

The most commonly cited cause of non-working 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 of its residents 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 - children and seniors.

In addition, The Lisle-Woodridge Fire District recommends residents test their alarms monthly by pushing the test button. This is also a great time to plan and practice your family escape plan.

Knowing “two ways out” and practicing those escape routes with the entire family will help your family to escape in time of an emergency.

Everyone is at risk of dying in a fire, but as you can see below Children and Seniors are at greater risk.

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.

Not all detectors need new batteries. Some detectors have 10 year batteries.

For more information about fire safety, call the Fire Prevention Bureau at 630-353-3030, or visit the Lisle-Woodridge Fire District website at www.LWFD.org.