FIRE PREVENTION MONTH

We all need reminders from time to time. Some can mean the difference between life and death. For the 21st year in a row, Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) have teamed together to support Change Your Clock Change Your Battery®. This campaign encourages families to take action in preventing accidental deaths caused by home fires by changing the battery in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Serving as a reminder since 1987, the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program began as a pilot program in St. Louis and Atlanta, and now incorporates more than 6,100 fire departments. This year, on November 2, Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs will encourage families to use Daylight Saving Time as a reminder to change the battery in their smoke detectors when changing their clocks back to Standard Time.

“Hundreds of fatalities occur every year when individuals neglect to ensure their smoke detectors have fresh batteries. The habit of changing batteries during this campaign is a simple step that can help save the lives of so many families each year,” says Chief Larry J. Grorud, CFO, MIFireE, and president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

The IAFC reports that while 96 percent of American homes have at least one smoke alarm, 19 percent of those detectors are not working, mostly due to missing or dead batteries. On average, home fires kill 540 children, 14 and under each year.*

Why this program is lifesaving:

A working smoke detector can provide crucial extra seconds to escape a burning home.

Eighty percent of home fire deaths result from fires in homes without working smoke alarms. By encouraging the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® program, hopefully more families adopt this simple habit to help them stay safe.

Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® Fact Sheet

Fire Facts

Ninety-six percent of American homes have at least one smoke alarm, but 19 percent do not have at least one smoke alarm that works, primarily due to missing or dead batteries.

Nuisance activations were the leading cause of disabled smoke alarms. Cooking fumes and steam can cause a smoke alarm to sound. Nuisance alarms can be prevented by moving the smoke alarm farther from kitchens or bathrooms.

On average, home fires kill 540 children ages 14 and under each year.

Children, ages 5 and under, are one and one-half times more likely than the population, as a whole, to die in home fires.

Seniors age 75 and older are three times more likely to die in a home fire.

10 p.m. to 6 a.m. are the peak alarm times for home fire deaths – people tend to be asleep and the house is likely to be dark.

Approximately every three hours a home fire death occurs somewhere in the nation.

Two-thirds of home fire deaths result from fires in homes without working smoke alarms.

Only 23 percent of U.S. families have developed and practiced a home fire escape plan to ensure they could escape quickly and safely. Developing a family emergency escape plan can be crucial to everyone’s safety.

Smoke alarms don’t last forever. They should be replaced at least every 10 years.

Carbon Monoxide Facts

Carbon monoxide is sometimes called the “the silent killer.” It is colorless, odorless and tasteless. Roughly 500 people in the United States die each year from unintentional non-fire carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

Flashlight Facts

Candles used for light in the absence of electrical power cause one-third of fatal home candle fires.

Candles are the third leading cause of injuries from home fires, following cooking and heating.

When your power goes out, use flashlights instead of candles.

Use the time change to check the batteries in your flashlights.

Sources: International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Fire Protection Association, Sense of Smell Institute, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Department of Health and Human Services