Daylight Savings: Change Your Clock Change Your Battery

This Saturday night is Daylight Savings. We will “fall” back an hour. It is always easiest to change your clocks on Saturday night before you go to bed.

During the month of October my girls learned a lot of fire safety at school.  There are some very important reminders that we should all be doing, but I am really a fan of the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery campaign.  The simple task of making sure your smoke detector’s battery is working can make the difference in surviving a home fire.  Studies have shown that having a working smoke alarm doubles a family’s chances of escaping a home fire. This program encourages families to take action by changing the batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors when they switch their clocks back an hour November 6th.

Tragically, home fires injure and kill thousands each year. According to Energizer, who has lead the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery Campaign for 24 years, those most at risk include:

• Children — Home fires kill 500 children ages 14 and under each year. Roughly three-quarters of child fire fatalities under age 15 occurred in homes without working smoke alarms.
• Seniors — Adults 75 and older are 2.8 times more likely to die in a home fire.
• Low-Income Households — Many low-income families are unable to afford batteries for their smoke alarms. These same households often rely on poorly installed, maintained or misused portable or area heating equipment — a main cause of fatal home fire