With daylight savings time reverting to standard time Sunday morning at 2 a.m., the St. John’s Regional Fire Department (SJRFD) is reminding all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to replace the batteries in their smoke alarms when they change their clocks.
Smoke alarms are an important part of a home fire escape plan. “When properly installed and maintained, smoke alarms play a vital role in reducing fire deaths and injuries”, Capt. Mike Maher, fire prevention officer with the fire department, said in a news release. “They also provide early warning so you can get outside quickly”.
To ensure proper functioning of your smoke alarms, the fire department advises to test them at least once a month using the “test” button. Smoke alarms should be replaced when they are 10 years old or sooner if they do not respond properly when tested.
If an alarm “chirps”, warning the battery is low, the batter should be replaced right away.
The fire department notes it’s also important to change the batteries in carbon monoxide detectors at this time as well.
