‘Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery!’: Macon-Bibb Fire Department stresses alarm safety

“Proper preparation and planning is going to help when it comes to any type of fire emergency because time is of the essence,” said Lt. Jeremy Webb, Fire & Life Safety Educator for Macon-Bibb County Fire Department.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, and the Macon-Bibb County Fire Department is bringing fire safety to the forefront.

“Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery!” is the saying.

Lt. Jeremy Webb, Fire & Life Safety Educator for Macon-Bibb County Fire Department, says to change the batteries for both smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors at the same time you change your clocks.

According to the Fire Department, three out of five home fire deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms as many fatal fires happen at night, alarms provide the early warning you need to escape. A working smoke alarm cuts the risk of dying in a fire by 50%.

“Most households have smoke alarms, but they don’t have working smoke alarms. So, the batteries have simply went dead or the smoke alarms are simply outdated,” said Lt. Webb. “Most people, residents, don’t understand the importance of having a working a smoke alarm in your home, and they don’t know the smoke alarms expire, so they have an expiration date. So, every ten years, statistics and studies show that you should change your entire smoke alarm, because after that ten year mark smoke alarms start malfunctioning.”

“Proper preparation and planning is going to help when it comes to any type of fire emergency because time is of the essence.”

“Carbon monoxide is pretty much what you call a silent killer, so it’s very important to have carbon monoxide detectors in your home as well as smoke alarms, especially if you have any type of gas-powered appliance or anything like that.”

“A lot of homes don’t have it. You know that most residents, they may think about smoke alarms, but carbon monoxide detectors kinda go to the back of the mind,” said Lt. Webb.

Webb says after you replace the batteries, use the test button to make sure everything is working correctly, and for interconnected alarm systems, call an electrician to replace the backup batteries. Those systems need to be replaced every 10 years.