Info: CalFire - Good morning did you check the Batteries in your smoke alarms?

NFPA and CAL FIRE Reminds Californians to
Change Your Clock – Change Your Battery
CalFire has reminded Californians to replace the batteries in all smoke alarms when turning their clocks forward this morning in observance of Daylight Saving Time.

SACRAMENTO - Smoke alarms play a vital role in reducing deaths and injuries from fire.

According to the National Fire Prevention Association 95 percent of all homes in the United States have at least one smoke alarm. However, 65 percent of home fire deaths occur in homes with no alarms or no working smoke alarms.

This minimal effort of changing the batteries twice a year could mean the difference between life and death.

Already this year, several fatalities have occurred in California which might have been prevented with working smoke alarms.

"Every year lives are lost in homes without smoke alarms or those homes with a non-functioning smoke alarm," said Director Ruben Grijalva of CalFire. "If everyone made changing the smoke alarm batteries as routine as changing their clocks, lives would be saved."

CalFire has the following tips on smoke alarms:
• Test smoke alarms once a month
• Replace batteries in smoke alarms twice a year
• Don't disable smoke alarms even temporarily
• Regularly vacuum or dust smoke alarms to keep them working properly
• Replace smoke alarms every 10 years
• Practice fire drills so everyone in the family knows what to do if the smoke alarm goes off
• Information is available at the CalFire Website