Charlottetown firefighter Brad Kennedy replaces the batteries in the smoke detector at the Charlottetown fire department. The time changes Nov. 6 and so should the batteries in your smoke detector. Shannon MacLeod photo.
Wednesday, Nov 3, 2010
This Saturday, time falls back one hour. This is the perfect opportunity to do some upkeep on your home’s smoke detector.
The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs with Duracell and Kidde Canada – experts in the protection of people and property from fires, regularly commission research examining Canadian smoke alarm maintenance.
Research shows as many as half of all households don’t maintain the ritual of installing new batteries.
The time change is a great way to remember to change your smoke detector batteries, said Charlottetown fire chief Randy MacDonald.
“A fresh battery makes sure we get the earliest detection possible.”
Earliest detection possible means a quicker response from the fire department, said MacDonald.
“That way we get the best survival rate,” he said.
In Canada, 78 per cent of deaths from fires occur in the home between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., while the occupants are asleep, said Charlottetown fire investigator Winston Bryan.
“This is why it is crucial to have working smoke detectors in place.”
The time change is a perfect reminder of when to change your smoke-detector batteries, said MacDonald.
“We recommend to change them twice a year. When you change your clock, you change your batteries.”
Research from the association shows in more than 60 per cent of fatal fires in Canada, investigators found smoke alarms without batteries, with dead batteries, or no smoke alarms at all.
“The change your clock, change your batteries is important,” said Bryan. “The two of them go hand in hand.”
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