Change Alarm Batteries For Daylight Saving Time

Approximately 70 percent of home fire deaths result from fires in homes with no smoke alarms, or alarms that do not work.

Smoke alarms can save lives, but only when they are working properly. A properly installed and maintained smoke alarm will provide an early-warning signal to households, providing families with the chance to escape. 

Sarasota Fire Marshal Rick Fulwider advises residents to replace the batteries in smoke alarms at the same time clocks are set forward one hour for daylight saving time in the spring and back one hour in the fall.

This spring, daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 11.

Fulwider offers other safety tips that could save lives, including:

Install smoke alarms on every level of the home.

For extra safety, install smoke alarms both inside and outside any sleeping areas, especially if family members sleep with their bedroom doors closed.

Keep smoke alarms clean because dust may prevent them from working properly.

Regularly vacuum smoke alarms.

Replace the battery if you hear a “chirping” noise since that could mean the battery is low.

Replace smoke alarms about every 10 years.

Write the purchase date with a marker on the back of the smoke alarm.

Weather radios also are as important as smoke alarms in saving lives, according to emergency officials.

“One only needs to look at the daily news to know it is important to be prepared to react when severe weather threatens,” said Emergency Management Chief Ed McCrane.

Severe weather such as tornadoes and thunderstorms often strike without much notice, requiring quick action to be taken to protect families, homes and businesses.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Alert radios will broadcast alerts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, providing timely notification of hazardous weather watches and warnings, especially when minutes and even seconds can mean the difference between life and death.

Residents are advised to look for weather radios that have the Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME).

This feature allows the programming of alerts for only the counties where coverage is requested by the weather radio owner.

Other than a weekly test, the radio will only alert when the programmed counties are affected.

For more information on smoke alarms or weather radios, or if you cannot afford a smoke alarm, contact the Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000 and ask for the offices of Emergency Management (weather radios) or Fire Prevention (smoke alarms).