STOW, MA – “One of the best things we can do as we get our homes ready for winter, is to make sure smoke and carbon monoxide alarms have fresh batteries,” said State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey, “Time is your enemy in a fire and working smoke alarms give you precious time to use your home escape plan before poisonous gases and heat make escape impossible.”
“This weekend as we change our clocks, it’s an excellent time to change the batteries in our smoke and carbon monoxide alarms that use regular alkaline batteries,” said State Fire Marshal Ostroskey.
Replace Aging Smoke & CO Alarms
No appliance lasts forever. “When changing your alarm’s batteries check to see if your alarms need to be replaced. Smoke alarms last about ten years and older carbon monoxide alarms last 5-7,” said Ostroskey. “No one expects to have a fire, so being prepared is the best way to survive if one does occur.”
Ten Year Alarms
There are some new smoke and CO alarms that come with a 10-year, sealed, non-rechargeable, non-replaceable battery. The batteries in these alarms never need changing until the entire alarm needs to be replaced after ten years.
For more information on smoke alarms in Massachusetts contact your local fire prevention office or go to: www.mass.gov/dfs and type Smoke Alarms in the search box.
Media release furnished by Mass Department of Fire Services
