Change Your SmokeAlarm Batteries When You Change Your Clocks (NAPSA)—Americans almost always remember to change their clocks from Daylight Saving Time, wat P ita keeping them from missing an appointment. But they are far less mindful of changing the battery in their smoke alarms, which could save their lives. So whynot do both at once? That’s the message the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), Energizer Batteries and more than 5,800 fire departments across the country are sending nationwide with the annual Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program. People are urged to use the “extra hour” to change their smoke alarm batteries on Sunday, October 29, when they change their clocks (from Daylight Saving Time). Residents can cut the odds of dying in a homefire nearly in half by adopting this simple habit. The campaign continues to focus on the highest-risk groups— children ages 5 and under and senior citizens. These groups are twice as likely to die in homefires. Approximately 80 percent of fatal homefire victims are children killed by fires in homes without working smoke alarms. Overall, an average of nearly three children (underthe age of 20) die each day in fatal homefires in the U.S. Twenty-six million homes are at needless risk for homefire fatalities, despite the fact that 96 percent of American homes have smoke alarms. This risk is incurred because more than a quarter of those homes haveat least one nonworking smoke alarm, mostly due to worn-out or missing batteries. The five most common reasons home smoke alarms do not function properly are: Battery is not replaced in a timely fashion. One good usefor the extra Daylight Saving hour is to change the battery in your smoke alarms, say America’s fire chiefs. Battery is removed for use in another device, such asa toy. Battery is removed due to “chirping sound,” which actually indicates the battery needs to be replaced! Smoke alarm is not cleaned regularly. Smoke alarm is aged and possibly contains outdated parts or technology. Each of these reasons is easily remedied by either simply replacing the smoke alarm battery or the smokealarm. “Fire fatalities most often occur when families are sleeping. Many people believe they will awaken from the smell of smoke. Unfortunately, by the time people actually smell the smoke, it is often too late,” says Chief James Harmes, president of the IAFC. “A working smoke alarm can providecritical extra seconds many people need to get out ofa fire safely.” The IAFCis a nonprofit association representing nearly 13,000 chief fire officers and emergency service leaders worldwide. Its members are the world’s leading experts in fire fighting, emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous material spills, natural disasters, search and rescue, and public safety legislation. Energizer Holdings, Inc. [NYSE: ENR], www.energizer.com, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of primary batteries, battery-powered devices and flashlights. Energizer has been promoting fire safety through its Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program since 1987.
