Time to Change your Clocks and Batteries in all Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Daylight savings begins on March 13, 2016, and Fire Chief Al Reaume of the Amherstburg Fire Department recommends residents install new batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms when they change their clocks this weekend.

“In order for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to do their job, they need to have working batteries,” explains Fire Chief Al Reaume. “Once a year, old batteries should be replaced with new batteries.

When you change your clocks this weekend, Amherstburg Fire Department wants everyone to take the time to install new batteries in all smokealarms and CO alarms.” This is also the time to check the age of your smoke and CO alarms. Amherstburg Fire Department recommends replacing all smoke and CO alarms when they are 10 years old or sooner if the manufacturer recommends it.

In order to survive a fire, you need to be provided with an early warning and know what to do when the smoke alarms sound. It’s the law to have working smoke alarms on every storey of the home and outside all sleeping areas. For added protection, it is also recommended to install smoke alarms inside all bedrooms.

Carbon monoxide alarms are now required by law and if your home has a fuel burning appliance or attached garage, CO alarms are to be installed outside every sleeping area.

Tampering with or removing the batteries from your smoke alarm is against the law.

Failure to comply with the Fire Code smoke alarm requirements can result in a ticket of $235 or a fine of up to $50,000.