Daylight Saving Starts Sunday; Brick Residents Reminded To Check Smoke Detectors

BRICK, NJ — Daylight Saving arrives Sunday, and with the reminder to push your clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed Saturday night comes the annual reminder to check your smoke detectors, too.

At Tuesday's Brick Township Council meeting, Councilman Paul Mummolo reminded residents that Daylight Savings is this weekend.

Along with the annual reminder to change the batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, Mummolo said residents also should check the age of their detectors, because ones that are more than 10 years old should be replaced.

The National Fire Protection Association began a campaign last fall, saying smoke alarms should be checked and replaced every 10 years to ensure they are in proper working order.

“While the public generally knows that smoke alarms play an important role in home fire safety, some smoke alarm messages are not as well understood,” says Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy for NFPA. “Not knowing how often smoke alarms need to be replaced — or that they even have an expiration date — are among them.”

The reason they need to be replaced is that the smoke sensors lose sensitivity over time, according to Consumer Reports.

"The life expectancy of smoke alarms is generally 10 years, after which point their sensors can begin to lose sensitivity," Consumer Reports said in a Q-and-A response. "The test button only confirms that the battery, electronics, and alert system are working; it doesn’t mean that the smoke sensor is working. To test the sensor, use an aerosol can of smoke alarm test spray that simulates smoke."

That includes hard-wired smoke alarms as well as ones that are solely battery-powered, according to an Angie's List article that cites the National Fire Protection Association.

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