THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 27, 1996 TAG: 9610250232
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 21 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SUSIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: 44 lines
The Fire Department's fire prevention bureau reminds residents to change the batteries in their smoke detectors when they change their clocks back to standard time.
Although 92 percent of American homes have smoke alarms, nonworking smoke detectors are so common that they are robbing residents of the protective benefits they were designed to provide.
Weak or missing batteries are most often cited as the cause of nonworking smoke detectors. Nationally, inoperable smoke detectors contribute to many of the estimated 3,800 fire deaths and 50,000 to 100,000 injuries caused each year by home fires.
Changing smoke detector batteries once a year is one of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce these tragic deaths and injuries. In fact, a working smoke detector will reduce by half the risk of dying in a residential fire, fire officials said.
To save lives and prevent needless injuries in Suffolk, the Fire Department has joined with the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the Tidewater Multi-Family Housing Council of the Tidewater Builders Association and Energizer brand batteries for the annual ``Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery'' campaign.
They remind residents to know where the smoke detector is located; check the detector regularly; teach family members what to do if the smoke detector sounds a warning. Plan and practice a home escape drill regularly with family members.
``A working smoke alarm provides an early warning and critical extra seconds to escape,'' said Fire Chief Mark R. Outlaw. ``This is particularly important for those most at risk of dying in a residential fire, such as children and seniors.''
An average of three children die each day in residential fires. Fire is the second-leading cause of accidental death among children under 5, placing them at twice the risk of dying in a home fire. Ninety percent of the fire deaths involving children occur in homes without working smoke detectors.
Adults over 75 are three times more likely to die in home fires than the rest of the population. Many seniors are unable to escape quickly.
For details or assistance, call the fire prevention bureau of Suffolk Fire Department at 925-5745. by CNB