Wednesday, October 25, 2000
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Wednesday, October 25, 2000 |
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Fire officials urge replacement of batteries in smoke detectors By JOHN MUNFORD
Just because it's time to "fall back" doesn't mean it's an excuse to fall behind. Especially when it comes to the annual replacement of batteries in your smoke detector, say representatives of the Fayetteville Fire Department and the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services. The time changes Sunday, Oct. 29, and local emergency officials want to remind everyone to change the batteries in their smoke detectors at the same time. It is also recommended that smoke alarms be replaced every 10 years. Sgt. Ashley Strickland of the Fayetteville Fire Department said smoke alarms nearly cut in half the risk of dying in a home fire. "Working smoke detectors provide an early warning and critical extra seconds to escape," said Chief Jack Krakeel of the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services. "This is particularly important for those most at risk of dying in home fires, such as children and seniors." An average of three children a day die in home fires and 82 percent of those deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms, Strickland added. It is estimated that 20 percent of smoke alarms in American homes do not work because of worn or missing batteries. Experts recommend a smoke alarm on each level of a home, one inside each bedroom and one outside each sleeping area. Somewhere in the United States, a home fire occurs approximately every 85 seconds. The peak time for home fire fatalities is between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. when most people are asleep. The smell of smoke does not always awaken someone because the sense of smell decreases when people are asleep, according to recent clinical experiments.
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