The Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office is reminding you to “change your clock, check your batteries” this weekend. As you “fall back” when daylights savings ends – Fire Marshal spokesperson JC Fultz says it’s also a good idea to change the batteries in your smoke alarm. If you have the 10-year sealed alarm version, go ahead and push the test button to make sure it’s working. “It’s important to remember that smoke alarms do have a lifespan of usually around ten years,” Fultz said. “So if you have a smoke alarm that’s hanging on your ceiling that is older than ten years, go ahead and take it down (and) replace it with a sealed, ten-year battery smoke alarm.” Remember that smoke alarms are required on every floor of your home within 15 feet of bedrooms. Make a habit of testing the 10-year sealed alarms daily, weekly, monthly – or during the time change. The National Fire Protection Association says that about three out of every five fire deaths occur in homes that either doesn’t have a smoke detector or have one that doesn’t work.
