Change Your Clocks, Change Your Smoke Detector Batteries

When a smoke detector does not work, it can’t save a life. Surveys and inspections by fire department personnel have found that as many as half of all smoke detectors have dead or missing batteries.

As daylight savings time ends this Sunday, Grayslake Fire officials urge residents to take the time to also check the batteries in their smoke detectors.

Turn your clocks back one hour Saturday night, so you get an extra hour of sleep. Daylight Savings Time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday morning.

This simple act and great use of the hour you gain could save many lives, fire officials said. These valuable devices provide early warning of fire that can quickly grow and trap buildings occupants.

The National Fire Protection Association recommends that there be at least one smoke detector outside of every sleeping area and on each floor of a home. Installing a smoke detector in each sleeping room provides increased protection.

Between 2006 and 2008, 23 percent of fatal fires in residential buildings had no working smoke detectors present. Working smoke detectors also reduce the risk of dying in a residential fire by half.

Anyone with questions about installation or maintenance of a smoke detector should call the Grayslake Fire Station at 847-223-8960.

- submitted by Greg Formica of the Grayslake Fire Protection District.