Fall Back: Change your clock and check your detectors

Northeast Ohioans, did you remember to “fall back” and set your clock back one hour on November 2? While you reset your clock, it’s also a great time to check your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

When we “spring forward” or “fall back” for Daylight Savings Time (DST), fire safety experts remind us twice a year to “Change the clock, change the batteries” through their fire-prevention campaigns. It’s a simple but powerful reminder: change the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon-monoxide (CO) detectors. It’s a safety practice that is especially important for older adults living independently at home.

Why changing clocks is a good time to change batteries

Half of home fire deaths happen between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., when most people are asleep, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Fire experts recommend installing smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of the home, including the basement. With that guideline, changing clocks is a good time to change batteries because:

• It’s a built-in reminder.
• The disruption of setting clocks for daylight savings time offers a natural moment to pause and review home-safety measures.
• Smoke alarms (and CO detectors) only save lives when they work.
• The Cleveland Division of Fire reminds us that “Only WORKING smoke alarms save lives.”
• Carbon monoxide (CO) detectors need similar attention.
• While smoke alarms are well known, CO detection is often overlooked but equally important especially with more reliance on gas heating in the cooler months.
• Simple action, big payoff.
• What fire departments in Northeast Ohio emphasize is that the cost (in time and money) of changing a battery is minimal; the potential benefit — early warning, extra seconds to escape a fire, or to respond to dangerous CO — is very large.

Why older adults living independently should care

• Cleveland Fire reminds that modern furnishings burn quicker, meaning you may have just two minutes to escape. Every minute counts in a fire or CO emergency.
• Ensure that there are enough detectors Install smoke alarms and CO detectors on every level of the home and in each sleeping area.
• Be attentive to hearing deficits. If you can’t hear your smoke alarm, consider getting one that has a different sound or one that comes with a bed shaker or strobe light.
• Greater vulnerability to CO exposure. Many older adults heat homes differently, may use supplemental heaters, or have older furnaces. CO can accumulate silently and is a “silent killer.” Because CO is colorless and odorless, detection and early alarm are vital.

Only Working A Working Device Can Save a Life

Did you know that the age of your detector matters too? Here are easy, actionable steps from U.S. Fire Administration that older adults and all families in Northeast Ohio can follow when the time changes this weekend:

• Set aside a few minutes on the weekend you change your clock (spring forward or fall back).
• Go to every smoke alarm and CO detector in the home and remove the smoke alarm from the wall or ceiling.
• Look at the back of the device for the date of manufacture. If it is older than 10 years, you should replace it with a new one.
• Press the “test” button to ensure it still sounds.
• Consider your hearing ability. If your alarm is in working order but you can’t hear your smoke alarm, consider getting one that has a different sound or one that comes with a bed shaker or strobe light.
• Replace the batteries in all alarms that use replaceable batteries.
• Record the date of your check/battery change in a log or on a calendar. This makes it easier to remember next time the clocks change.
• Cleveland’s Fire Prevention & Safety reminds us that elderly and low-income residents can request free smoke alarms through your local fire department or the American Red Cross Operation Save-A-Life program.

Daylight savings time changes are a great time for a simple but powerful home-safety check. For older adults living independently in Northeast Ohio, this twice-a-year reminder can literally add minutes to their margin of safety — time that can make a difference during a fire or carbon-monoxide emergency.

Downloadable resources from U.S. Fire Administration and Ohio Department of Commerce:

• Fire Safety Tips for Older Ohioans
• Hear the Beep Where you Sleep: Smoke Alarm Safety
• Home Fire Safety Checklist