Farmington Hills Fire Officials Want You to Think About Daylight Saving Time

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI – It may not seem like it, but the switch to Daylight Saving Time is less than a month away on Sunday, March 13.

And with it comes the annual “Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery” campaign. The Farmington Hills Fire Department is joining thousands of fire departments across the country in reminding Americans to change their smoke alarm batteries when they set their clocks forward an hour.

Establishing the battery replacement routine is “a simple and inexpensive way to protect your family and your home,” Farmington Hills Fire Marshal Jason Olszewski said in a statement.

Since 1987, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and Energizer batteries have been working together to raise awareness about the frequency that non-working smoke alarms are responsible for home fire deaths and injuries.

With more than 6,000 fire departments participating in the “Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery” campaign, fire deaths are declining, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

According to the NFPA, smoke alarms are present in 96 percent of American homes, but 20 percent do not work due to worn or missing batteries.

This means that nearly 19 million homes are at needless risk. Almost two-thirds — 62 percent — of reported home fire deaths were in homes with no smoke alarms or with non-working smoke alarms. A working smoke alarm can often provide critical extra seconds needed to get out safely.

The Farmington Hills Fire Department provides free smoke alarms for any resident who requests them.

“We’ve installed hundreds of smoke alarms over the past 29 years, and will continue to do so until everyone who needs them has them,” Olszewski said.

Also, if your smoke alarm is over10 years old, it’s time to replace it. Olszewski recommends replacing old smoke alarms with a new 10-year lithium battery powered smoke alarm,

“Their value cannot be overstated,” he said. “Consider that a new 10-year lithium battery-operated smoke alarm costs approximately $20, and compare this to $5 to $8 for an alkaline battery-operated alarm and then the cost and time of replacing those batteries twice a year over a 10-year period.”

For information about the program, contact Lt. Larry Gauthier at Fire Prevention 248-871-2820 or lgauthier@fhgov.com.

» Patch file photo