Your smoke alarm can save your life and it is critically important to test your smoke alarm and replace its batteries. It is easy to get tired of your smoke alarm beeping at you when the batteries go low… and in a moments haste to unplug the low battery. Keep in mind the slogan: ‘Change your clock, Change your battery’.
Here is a nice quote from the Three Rivers Fire protection District.
“Oregonians should first test their smoke alarm battery before automatically replacing it,” says Oregon State Fire Marshal Randy Simpson. “Long-life batteries have a life span of up to 10 years. If your alarm has one of these batteries, it may not need replacing every time you change your clock. If you do need to replace your battery, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to be sure you replace it with the correct type.”
From 2005 through 2009 in Oregon, 39% of residential fires* had no smoke alarm present or the smoke alarm did not operate. These fires resulted in 46 fatalities, 283 injuries, and more than $105 million in property loss.
Here is a link to the entire articles: http://www.threeriversfire.org/
