[RP TownTalk] Change Your Clocks/Change Your Batteries

[Stephen C. Lamphier]

With the arrival of spring, it willsoon be time to change your clocks to coincide with Daylight Saving Time. TheRiverdale Fire Department wants to remind our citizens and residents that italso a good time to change the batteries in your smoke alarm and carbonmonoxide detector. The Fire Department knows all too well the importance ofhome fire safety. We urge you to change the batteries in every smoke alarm andcarbon monoxide detector in your home. 
According to the United States FireAdministration, every year, approximately 2,600 Americans die in home fires.Over half of these deaths (52%) occur between the hours of 10:00pm and 7:00am,when residents are typically sleeping. Smoke and toxic gases from a home fireare as deadly as heat and flames. Just two or three breaths of toxic smoke canrender you unconscious. The majority of fire victims die or are injured fromexposure to smoke and toxic gases, such as carbon monoxide, not actual burns.In addition, smoke obscures vision, decreasing your ability to escape.
Smoke alarms save lives, preventinjuries, and minimize property damage by detecting fires early and alertingresidents, allowing crucial time for you and your family to escape. The risk ofdying from a fire in a home without working smoke alarms is twice as high as ina home that has working smoke alarms.
Please remember when you move yourclocks forward this upcoming weekend to reflect the beginning of DaylightSavings Time, change the batteries in your alarms as well.


Steve Lamphier
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