IT'S TIME TO CHANGE SMOKE ALARM BATTERIES

Although I personally think that Daylight Savings Time is one of the stupidest and most non-productive ideas ever to come out of government, I think that VC Fire Chief George Lucia below makes a lot of sense when he says that Saturday night is the time to change batteries on our smoke alarms. See below:


As this spring time change approaches (Daylight Savings Time begins Sunday, March 13, at 2 a.m.), the Valley Center Fire Protection District remindS residents to make another change that could save their lives changing the batteries in their smoke alarms.
An average of three children a day dies in home fires and 80% of those occur in homes without working smoke alarms. Non-working smoke alarms rob residents of the protective benefits home fire safety devices were designed to provide. The most commonly cited cause of non-working smoke alarms: worn or missing batteries.
Changing smoke alarm batteries at least once a year is one of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce these tragic deaths and injuries. In fact, working smoke alarms nearly cut in half the risk of dying in a home fire. Additionally, the International Association of Fire Chiefs recommends replacing your smoke alarms every ten years.
To save lives and prevent needless injuries in Valley Center, the Valley Center Fire Protection District has joined forces with the International Assn. of Fire Chiefs and Energizer for the “Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery” campaign.
The program urges all Americans to adopt a simple, lifesaving habit: changing smoke alarm batteries when changing clocks to daylight savings time each spring, this year on Sunday, March 13, at 2 a.m.
“Working smoke alarms provide an early warning and critical extra seconds to escape,” said Valley Center Fire Marshal George E. Lucia Sr. this week. “This is particularly important for those most at risk of dying in a home fire, such as children and seniors. People at risk are eligible for free smoke detectors from the Burn Institute. Please contact us at 760-751-7600 for more information.”
In addition, Lucia recommends residents use the “extra” daylight hours saved from the time change to test smoke alarms by pushing the test button, planning “two ways out” and practicing emergency escape routes with the entire family.