When You Change Your Clocks, Check Your Alarms

When you change your clocks in the spring and fall, check your smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms too. Put in fresh alkaline batteries if your alarms use them, and replace the alarms if they're out of date.

Working smoke and CO alarms are crucial home safety tools. They should be installed on every level of your home and tested every month.

Daylight savings time begins in March and ends in November. If your alarms take alkaline batteries, change the batteries when you change your clocks. If your alarms are out of date, replace the alarms.

Replace Aging Smoke Alarms

Alarms don’t last forever. Look on the back of your alarm for the manufacturing date. Replace smoke alarms after 10 years. Replace carbon monoxide alarms after five to seven years, depending on the model. If your alarm is out of date, or if there’s no date at all, it’s time to replace the alarm right away. Learn more about smoke and CO alarms.

New Alarms: Photoelectric With 10-Year Sealed Batteries

Replacing your old smoke alarm? Choose a replacement with a sealed, long-life battery and a hush feature. Select photoelectric alarms from a well-known national brand. Look for the mark of an independent testing lab such as UL or Intertek/ETL.

Sealed 10-year alarms are easy to maintain. They are also less likely to be disabled by someone using the batteries for other household appliances.

Disabling a smoke alarm puts everyone in a home at risk. Test alarms once a month to be sure you and your family are protected. Learn more about smoke and CO alarms.

Check Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms

CO kills hundreds of people each year. Thousands more are hospitalized. Many cases of CO poisoning involve furnaces and heating appliances. But CO is also produced by stoves, grills, vehicles, and generators.

We can’t see, smell, or taste carbon monoxide. Working CO alarms are the only way to detect this invisible killer.

Check and test your CO alarms at the same time you test and check your smoke alarms. Learn more about CO safety.

Create and Practice a Home Escape Plan

You could have less than three minutes to escape a fire at home. Create and practice a home escape plan that includes two way out of every room. Everyone in the house should know what to do and where to go when the alarm sounds. This includes young children, older adults, and persons with disabilities. Keep doorways, stairways, and windows clear of furniture and other obstructions so you can leave quickly and safely. Learn more about home escape plans.

Older Adults at Greatest Risk

Adults over the age of 65 are at higher risk of dying in fires than other age groups. Do you know a senior who needs help testing, maintaining, or replacing smoke alarms? They can contact the local fire department or senior center for help. Learn more about fire safety for older adults.