Daylight Saving Time Begins March 8 at 2 a.m.
HOLBROOK — Director Steve Hooke and the Holbrook Regional Emergency Communications Center would like to remind residents to test their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when setting the clocks ahead for daylight saving time.
Daylight saving begins on Sunday, March 8 at 2 a.m.
“Not only is daylight saving time a good time to check your detectors’ batteries and test to ensure they are working correctly, but it’s also a good time to make sure your family knows what to do and where to go if smoke or CO detectors go off in your household,” Director Hooke said. “Always be sure to have an agreed upon location if you need to escape your house in an emergency, and be sure to call 911 once you are safely outside.”
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), having working smoke alarms reduces the risk of dying in a fire by 50% and, on average, three out of every five fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
HRECC asks that all business owners not only change the batteries in their clocks, smoke or carbon monoxide detectors, but also replace the batteries on wall mounted emergency lights and exit signs. All businesses have emergency backup lighting as a safety feature to provide temporary lighting in case of power failure.
In order to continue to keep your home safe and prevent fires, NFPA recommends that residents:
- Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms at least once a month using the test button. Replace alarms immediately if they don’t respond properly when tested.
- Replace batteries in smoke and CO alarms when you change your clocks.
- Replace all smoke alarms when they reach 10 years old. Replace CO detectors according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- CO alarms should be installed in a central location outside each sleeping area, on every level of the home, and in other locations where required by applicable laws, codes or standards. For the best protection, interconnect all CO alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.
- If the CO alarm sounds, immediately move to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door. Make sure everyone inside the home is accounted for. Call for help from a fresh air location and stay in that spot until emergency personnel arrive.
- Develop and practice a home escape plan with all members of the household.
For more information on smoke detector and CO alarm safety, visit the NFPA website or contact your local fire department.
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