Fire Chief: 'Change Those Batteries!'

Chief Scott J. Lovenberg of the Morris Township Fire Department asks all residents to change the batteries in both their smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms.  He also asked that smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms that are older than ten years be replaced.

Lovenberg pointed out that, "According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), in one out of five homes that have smoke detectors, none of the units work, mainly due to dead, missing or disconnected batteries." He pointed to the NFPA statistic that says nearly half of fire deaths in the U.S. occur in the four percent of homes that do not have smoke detectors.

Another alarming statistic:  Lovenberg said that, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the risk of dying in homes without smoke detectors is twice as high as it is in homes that have working smoke detectors. 

"If any resident needs assistance with the replacement of a battery in their smoke detector or carbon monoxide alarm," Lovenberg said, "they can call Morris Township Fire Headquarters at 973-326-7435."