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That's the message the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), Energizer® Batteries and more than 5,800 fire departments across the country are sending nationwide with the annual Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® program.
People are urged to use the "extra hour" to change their smoke alarm batteries on Sunday, October 29, when they change their clocks (from Daylight Saving Time). Residents can cut the odds of dying in a home fire nearly in half by adopting this simple habit.
The campaign continues to focus on the highest-risk groups-children ages 5 and under and senior citizens. These groups are twice as likely to die in home fires. Approximately 80 percent of fatal home fire victims are children killed by fires in homes without working smoke alarms. Overall, an average of nearly three children (under the age of 20) die each day in fatal home fires in the U.S.
Twenty-six million homes are at needless risk for home fire fatalities, despite the fact that 96 percent of American homes have smoke alarms. This risk is incurred because more than a quarter of those homes have at least one non-working smoke alarm, mostly due to worn-out or missing batteries.
The five most common reasons home smoke alarms do not function properly are:
• Battery is not replaced in a timely fashion.
• Battery is removed for use in another device, such as a toy.
• Battery is removed due to "chirping sound," which actually indicates the battery needs to be replaced!
• Smoke alarm is not cleaned regularly.
• Smoke alarm is aged and possibly contains outdated parts or technology.
Each of these reasons is easily remedied by either simply replacing the smoke alarm battery or the smoke alarm.
"Fire fatalities most often occur when families are sleeping. Many people believe they will awaken from the smell of smoke. Unfortunately, by the time people actually smell the smoke, it is often too late," says Chief James Harmes, president of the IAFC. "A working smoke alarm can provide critical extra seconds many people need to get out of a fire safely."
The IAFC is a nonprofit association representing nearly 13,000 chief fire officers and emergency service leaders worldwide. Its members are the world's leading experts in fire fighting, emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous material spills, natural disasters, search and rescue, and public safety legislation.
Energizer Holdings, Inc. [NYSE: ENR], www.energizer.com, headquartered in St.
Louis, Missouri, is one of the world's largest manufacturers of primary
batteries, battery-powered devices and flashlights. Energizer has been promoting
fire safety through its Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program since
1987. One good use for the extra Daylight Saving hour is to change the battery
in your smoke alarms, say America's fire chiefs.
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