Crime & Safety

Fall Back: Turn Back Your Clocks Saturday Night (And Change Those Smoke Alarm Batteries)

Daylight Savings Time ends Sunday.

From Lower Merion Township, a note about taking advantage of the change to Eastern Standard Time overnight Saturday and into Sunday. Enjoy the extra hour of sleep.

***

As you prepare to turn clocks back an hour when Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, Nov. 6, the Lower Merion Fire Department is reminding residents to check and replace batteries in their household smoke alarms.

Find out what's happening in Ardmore-Merion-Wynnewoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Every day in the United States, needless home fire deaths occur. Working smoke alarms significantly increase your chance of surviving a deadly home fire.

"A properly installed and maintained smoke alarm is the only thing in your home that can alert you and your family to a fire, 24 hours a day, seven days a week," said Chas McGarvey, Chief Fire Officer.

Find out what's happening in Ardmore-Merion-Wynnewoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In addition to changing your smoke alarm batteries this weekend, the United States Fire Service (USFA) recommends following these simple steps to protect your life, your loved ones, and your home:

  • Dust or vacuum smoke alarms when you change the batteries.
  • Test alarms once a month using the test button.
  • Replace the entire alarm if it is more than 10 years old or doesn't work properly when tested.
  • Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement, and both inside and outside of sleeping areas.
  • For the best protection, equip your home with a combination of ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms or dual sensor alarms.
  • Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout your home so that when one sounds, they all sound. Interconnected alarms are available at most stores that sell smoke alarms.
  • Make sure everyone in your home understands the warning of the smoke alarm and knows how to respond.
  • Finally, prepare and practice an escape plan so that you and your loved ones can get out of your home safely should there be a fire. Plan to meet in a place a safe distance from the fire and where first responders can easily see you.

According to the USFA, 58 percent of homes that fall victim to fires have a smoke detector inside, but in the case of fatal residential fires in the U.S., 37 percent of homes had a smoke detector that was not working because of missing or dead batteries.

For more information on smoke alarms, fire escape planning, and fire prevention, visit the USFA website at www.usfa.fema.gov/smokealarms.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.