Published: October 31, 2009 01:38 pm      

Time change, smoke alarms partner up

When the clock rolls back this weekend local firefighters from all over the country remind people to also use it as an opportunity to check smoke detectors in their home.

More specifically, it’s the batteries in those detectors that fire chiefs like Joe Eddy in Pauls Valley want residents to check as clocks are set to “fall back” Sunday.

“When you change their clocks, change the batteries in your smoke detector,” Eddy said.

“If you need help, call the fire department. We’ll be glad to come out and assist. We know there are a lot of people who live alone or just can’t get up and do it themselves,” he said.

The annual effort by the Pauls Valley Fire Department is part of the national Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery program. The program calls for fire officials to offer a public reminder to make sure the smoke detector is working properly as clocks are set back one hour with a return to standard time.

The time change officially occurs at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1.

Eddy reminds people to do a double kind of check during the year.

“We try to remind people to change their smoke detector batteries every time we change the clocks,” he said. That means twice a year — once in the fall when the clocks fall back one hour and another in spring when the time moves forward an hour.

“I’m sure every paid fire department is doing this. Here in Pauls Valley we’ve done it for years,” Eddy said about the reminders.

Yet another regular thing for the local fire department is it provides smoke detectors for people who don’t have them in their homes.

“Anyone that does not have one can contact us. We’re willing to furnish smoke alarms and install them,” he said.

The Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery campaign was started 22 years ago by the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the Energizer battery company.

According to the IAFC, a working smoke detector will double a family’s chances of surviving a home fire. It’s estimated 20 percent of homes in the United States do not have a working smoke alarm, mostly due to dead or missing batteries. More than 6,000 fire departments across the United States take part in the program that also includes a reminder to check carbon monoxide detectors.