STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — This Sunday, when residents of New York “spring forward’’ to welcome Daylight Saving Time by moving their clocks one hour ahead, safety authorities encourage us to change the batteries in smoke detectors and test them to ensure that all detectors are functioning properly.
Despite warnings about the importance of smoke-alarm maintenance, about two-thirds of fire deaths in the United States take place in homes with no smoke alarms or smoke alarms with no batteries or dead batteries, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
The beginning and end of Daylight Saving Time offer reminders to start a good habit, fire officials say.
“Working smoke alarms are the most critical component of your escape plan,” said New York City Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh. “These devices are your first line of defense during a fire, so please make sure your alarm is functional by testing it monthly.”
So, while you may be tired from losing an hour of sleep as we move into Daylight Saving Time, it’s helpful to use the clock change as a reminder to change or test batteries, according to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), which also warned that working detectors save lives — but they have to be working to do so.
And while the well-known “Change Your Clocks, Change Your Batteries’’ initiative encourages the public to change batteries, the NFPA said that residents should consider the multiple types of smoke alarms on the market and their varying battery requirements.
“Because working smoke alarms are a critical element of home fire safety, NFPA supports any and all efforts to reinforce the importance of working batteries,” the international not-for-profit devoted to fire safety said in a recent announcement to the media. “However, today’s smoke alarms are not all designed the same, making battery messaging more nuanced.”
Some smoke alarms have non-replaceable batteries, designed to remain effective for up to 10…
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