OCEAN COUNTY – Most of us forget about our smoke and carbon monoxide detectors until they’re needed, but officials tell us that the batteries need to be replaced regularly to keep them in tip-top shape.
Sometimes, they’ll do that annoying little beep to let you know that the batteries are running low. But don’t wait around for that.
“Change your clock, change your alarm batteries” is a bi-annual fire safety campaign urging people to maintain their life-saving smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Daylight savings time is at 2 a.m. on March 13 and November 6.
It is unknown how they remember to change batteries in Arizona and Hawaii, the two states that don’t take part in daylight savings time.
The Lakewood Fire District put out the following advice on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms:
- Test your alarms regularly by pressing the test button.
- Replace alarms every 10 years or when the alarm signals that it has reached the end of life and needs to be replaced.
- Keep alarms clean by regularly dusting or vacuuming.
- If a CO alarm sounds, you and your family should get out immediately and call 911.
- If a smoke alarm sounds, be sure to execute your escape plan.
- If an alarm is set off accidentally, quiet the alarm by pushing the hush or reset button. Open windows and turn on vent fans to clear the air.
CO alarms can give false alarms if they are close to a fuel-burning appliance, in an excessively humid area like a bathroom, in direct sunlight, or near sources of blowing air (like a fan, vent or window).
Smoke alarms can be triggered by bathroom steam or cooking vapors.
Consider relocating alarms that often sound by accident.
