Turn your clocks. Check your stocks. Change your batteries.

When you set your clocks forward one hour this Sunday for daylight saving time, there are two things you should do to keep yourself and your family safe during a disaster – check your supply of emergency food and water, and change the batteries in your smoke and carbon dioxide detectors.

Take a moment to check the expiration dates on your emergency food and water. It’s important to ensure that your supplies are fresh and ready to use when needed. Discard and replace expired items to maintain the quality of your stock. Many people assume canned goods and bottled water stay fresh forever. They don’t.

If you’re unsure about what essential items to include in your emergency supply kit, we’ve got you covered. Visit Preparedness Starts Here or Ready.Gov for a comprehensive checklist of basic supplies you should have on hand.

The March and November time changes are also a great time to remember to replace the batteries in your smoke and carbon dioxide detectors.

Working smoke alarms save lives. A study by the National Fire Protection Agency found that almost three out of five home fire deaths resulted from fires in properties with no smoke alarms (40%) or no working smoke alarms (17%). But the risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms. Dead batteries caused one-quarter (25%) of the smoke alarm failures (Source: NFPA, Smoke Alarms in U.S. Home Fires).

An alarm should be installed on every floor of your home, in every bedroom, and outside of all sleeping areas. Here are some tips for installing smoke alarms:

The best place to mount your smoke alarm is on the ceiling.
Keep smoke alarms at least 4-6 inches away from the nearest wall.
Always test your newly installed smoke alarm.
If you cannot mount the alarm on the ceiling, install it high on the wall 4-12 inches from the ceiling.

In addition to working smoke alarms, every household should have an evacuation plan. Practice it. Make sure everyone knows how to get out and where to meet. Never go back inside a burning building. If someone is missing, inform the dispatcher when you call 911. Firefighters have the proper training to perform rescues.

Batteries from household smoke alarms may be recycled at your nearest household hazardous waste recycling facility. For a list of household hazardous waste locations and additional fire safety information, visit: sbcfire.org/smokealarms/ or sbcfire.org/hhw.

Additional County Update News – March 7, 2024