Spring Forward, Change Smoke Detectors

Daylight Saving Time begins this weekend, and Patch urges residents to change the batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors when they spring forward.

The time change will take place at 2 a.m. Sunday.

Do you have enough smoke detectors in your home or business? Farmingdale area firefighters recommend changing the batteries in a smoke detector at the same time we change our clocks to and from Standard Time, in the spring and the fall.

The East Farmingdale Fire Department, for example, recommends installing smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement. Many fatal fires begin late at night or in the early morning. For extra safety, install smoke alarms both inside and outside the sleeping area, firefighters said.

Also, smoke alarms should be installed on the ceiling or 6 to 8 inches below the ceiling on side walls. Since smoke and many deadly gases rise, installing your smoke alarms at the proper level will provide you with the earliest warning possible. Always follow the manufacturer's installation instructions.

Firefighters say about two-thirds of our nation's fire deaths happen in the victim's home. The home is where we most people are at the greatest risk and where we must take the most precautions. Most deaths occur from inhaling smoke or poisonous gases, not from the flames themselves, firefighters said.

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