NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Susie Lovisco, Deputy Fire Marshal Phone: 322-6383 office 693-6283 pager

CHANGE YOUR CLOCK AND CHECK YOUR SMOKE ALARMS

A simple habit can save a life, so Bend Fire & Rescue wants to remind you to Change Your Clock and Check Your Smoke Alarm, when Daylight Saving Time reverts to Standard Time at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 4th, 2007.

This simple program is designed to save lives by encouraging people to check their smoke alarm battery when they move their clocks backwards. The fire death rate in homes with working smoke alarms is 51% less than the rate for homes without this protection.

Why do smoke alarms fail? Most often because of missing, disconnected or dead batteries.

“Citizens should first test their smoke alarm battery before automatically replacing it,” says Deputy Chief Gary Marshall. “Long-life lithium batteries have a life span of up to 10 years and if your alarm has one of these batteries, you may not need to replace it every time you change your clock. However, you should always test and vacuum your smoke alarm monthly,” says Marshall.

Working smoke alarms provide an early warning to a fire, allowing you vital minutes to escape.

Bend Fire & Rescue offers a free smoke alarm program for homeowners who live in Bend. This winter, teams of fire safety educators will be testing and distributing free smoke alarms in high-risk fire neighborhoods. If you are interested, please contact (541) 322-6309 for more information.

This simple yet powerful act of testing the batteries in your smoke alarms when you change the clock back on Sunday, November 4th, doubles your family’s chances of surviving a home fire.

Additional Safety Tips:

-Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and outside each sleeping area -Replace smoke alarms every 10 years -Hard-wired alarms with battery back-ups will increase your safety -Never disconnect or remove batteries from smoke alarms for other uses -Make a home escape plan and practice it with the entire family

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