| Chances are about 96 percent of households have a smoke alarm in your home. However, 23% of them do not work due to old or missing batteries. This means that 26 million homes, nationwide are at risk. A working Smoke Alarm and Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarm can mean the difference between life and death. Over 6,000 deaths occur in house fires each year. Most people die from smoke and toxic gases rather than the fire itself. Many never even wake up! This is the time to protect your family from the tragedy of fire and CO poisoning by putting new batteries in your alarms!
To increase the odds for homes who could be at risk, the Sleepy Hollow Fire Department is urging people not only to check their Smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarm batteries when you move your clocks ahead Saturday night November 5, 2011, but to replace those batteries to ensure that these alarms will be in good working condition.
Replacing Smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarm batteries twice a year is one of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce the number of deaths and injuries related to poisoning and home fires. A working Smoke Alarm and development of a home escape plan, along with yearly home fire drills, more than doubles your chances of surviving a home fire. Without a working Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm to act as an early warning device, fire and poisonous gases can spread unnoticed throughout the household, blocking escape routes and filling rooms with deadly smoke and toxic gases. Also, you should practice your evacuation plan by doing at least two home fire drills a year! |
