Crime & Safety

Change Your Smoke Alarm Batteries, Too

Gwinnett Fire & Emergency Services issues reminder to change your smoke alarm batteries when you set your clocks ahead for Daylight Saving Time.

Before you go to bed tonight, set your clock ahead an hour.

Daylight Saving Time starts at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 10, and continues through fall. DST allows an extra hour of sunlight in the evening for outdoor activities and daylight driving.

Besides resetting your clock, the Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services reminds you to change the batteries in your smoke alarm.

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Smoke alarms save lives, Gwinnett Fire Lt. Colin Rhoden said in a news release. “Today’s smoke alarms detect smoke particles before they can get to you, giving you added time to escape.” Most people who die in residential fires don’t wake up and succumb to smoke inhalation, he said.

Here are the department's recommendations on smoke alarms:

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  • Keep the alarm dust free, and test it regularly as part of your home safety plan.
  • At least one smoke alarm should be placed on each level of the house, especially outside of bedrooms and at the top of staircase landings. These areas give you the earliest alert about a possible fire in your home.
  • No smoke alarm should be used if it is 10 years or older. Smoke alarms have manufacture dates printed on them, so replace the unit based on the manufacturer’s recommendation.

If it is necessary to replace the alarm there are primarily two different types. The ionization types are more responsive to flaming fires, such as a grease fire on the stove. The other type is photoelectric, it is generally more responsive to fires that begin after a long period of smoldering, such as a fire started by a cigarette discarded in a trash can or dropped on the cushion of a couch. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) the best protection is to use both types of smoke alarm technologies in the home.

Gwinnett Fire Community Risk Reduction Section offers several community based safety classes including live use of fire extinguishers and CPR. Contact fireprograms@gwinnettcounty.com for more information and to register for a class.


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