A Simple Lifesaving Reminder To Change Your SmokeAlarm Batteries When You Change Your Clocks (NAPSA)—Morethan 19 million American households can reduce their risk of home fire fatalities by fixing their nonworking smoke alarms. While smoke alarms are present in 95 percent of American homes, 20 percent do not work because of worn or missingbatteries. There’s a simple lifesaving habit families can adopt that will help to more than double the chance of preventing homefire fatalities— when you change your clocks back oS 1 to standard time, use the extra hour to change the battery in your smoke alarm. Change Your Clock Change Your Battery is the important message that Energizer Max brand Batteries, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and more than 5,800 fire departments nationwide are bringing to American families. According to Chief William Killen, president of the IAFC, most homefire fatalities occur between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., when most families are sleeping. “Children and senior citizens are most at risk. In fact, more than 1,000 children each yearlose their lives in homefires. A smoke alarm can give them the extra seconds they need to safely escape, but that’s only if the smoke alarm is working. That’s why smoke alarm maintenance is a simple yet essential way to reduce homefire deaths,” Killen says. This year, use the extra hour to make fire safety a priority by following these few simple steps: Replace your smoke alarm batteries and make sure the smoke alarm in your home is working. This step is significant, because approximately 80 percent ina of fire fatalities in the United States result from fires in homes without working smoke alarms. A working smoke alarm provides an early warning, giving families critical extra secondsto escape. Plan, discuss and practice a fire escape route with your family. Thisis crucial, since it is estimated that only 25 percent of American families have such a planin place. Keep matches, lighters and otherfire-starting materials away from children. Place space heaters and other portable heaters three feet away from anything that can burn. Make sure heaters are turned off when leaving the room or goingto sleep. Through the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program, Energizer has donated more than two million nine-volt batteries to ay reach those most at risk: children, senior citizens and families in communities nationwide. The IAFC is a nonprofit association representing more than 12,000 chieffire officers and emer- gency services leaders worldwide. Its members are the world’s leading experts in fire-fighting, emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous materials spills, natural disasters, search and rescue, and public safety legislation. The organization champions fire safety and prevention through efforts such as Change Your Clock Change Your Battery. Energizer Holdings, Inc., is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of primary batteries and flashlights and a global leader in the dynamic business of providing portable power.
