Daylight Saving Time Fire Safety Advisory
Daylight Saving Time triggers fire safety advisory
Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins this Sunday, March 13.
DST is the practice of moving the clocks forward one hour from Standard Time during the spring and summer months and changing them back again in the fall. At 2 a.m. Sunday, clocks are tuned back one hour.
The American Red Cross Cascades Region is encouraging everyone to use the time change to also test their home and business smoke alarms.
Working smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half, according to the Red Cross and fire agencies, who said it’s critical to “Turn and Test” and take such lifesaving steps to stay safe from home fires — the nation’s most frequent disaster.
The Red Cross encourages homeowners to:
Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas. Test alarms monthly and replace the batteries at least once a year if your model requires it.
Replace smoke alarms that are 10 years or older. That’s because the sensor becomes less sensitive over time. Check the date of your smoke alarms and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Practice your two-minute escape plan. Make sure everyone in your household can get out in less than two minutes — the amount of time you may have to get out of a burning home before it’s too late. Include at least two ways to get out from every room and select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone knows where to meet.
Teach children what a smoke alarm sounds like. Talk about fire safety and what to do in an emergency.
“As many as seven people die in this country every day from a home fire, but smoke alarms cut your risk in half,” Red Cross Cascades Disaster Officer Rebecca Marshall said. “Protect your household this weekend. Turn your clocks forward and test your smoke alarms.”
Visit redcross.org/fire for more information, including an escape plan to practice with your family. You can also download a free Emergency app by searching for “American Red Cross” in app stores.
Home Fire Campaign Saving Lives
According to the Red Cross, its staff and volunteers respond to more than 60,000 disasters every year and most of them are home fires. To help prevent fire-related deaths and injuries, the Red Cross launched the Home Fire Campaign with community partners in 2014 to reduce fire-related deaths and injuries.
To date, the Home Fire Campaign has reached more than 2.5 million people and is credited with saving more than 1,200 lives across the country.
Visit redcross.org/HomeFireStories to learn more.
