Posted: Friday, October 31, 2008 12:00 am
Oregon State Fire Marshal Nancy Orr is urging people to check their smoke alarms when changing their clock from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time this Sunday.
Since 1999, Oregon law requires all ionization-only smoke alarms sold in the state to have a hush feature; and if an ionization-only smoke alarm is also solely battery operated, it must also come with a 10-year lithium battery.
"Oregonians should first test their smoke alarm battery before automatically replacing it," Orr said. "Long-life lithium batteries are designed to last up to 10 years. If your alarm has one of these batteries, you may not need to replace it every time you change your clock, and that's why we encourage you to test your alarm first."
People are encouraged to test and vacuum their alarms monthly to keep them in good working order.
Working smoke alarms provide an early warning to a fire, allowing you vital minutes to escape and increase your chance of surviving a fire.
Other safety tips are:
* Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and outside each sleeping area.
* Replace smoke alarms 10 years old or older.
* Hard-wired alarms should have battery back-ups.
* Never disconnect or remove batteries from smoke alarms for other uses.
* Make a home escape plan and practice it.
For more smoke alarm and fire safety information, contact your local fire department or visit http://www.oregon.gov/
OSP/SFM/.
Democrat-Herald