Change Clock, Change Battery

Each year, the International Association of Fire Chiefs uses the time change as a tool to remind people to also change their smoke alarm batteries. DoD officials support this and have urged service members and their families to change their smoke alarm batteries. Fire chiefs association officials say the “Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery” campaign has helped reduce the number of injuries and deaths caused by fires. Fire officials say the few minutes required to maintain a smoke alarm can mean the difference between life and death in the event of a fire. Nationwide, roughly 80 percent of all fire deaths occur from fires in homes without working smoke alarms, officials reported. Half of the home fire deaths resulted from fires in the 5 percent of homes with no smoke alarms. Clocks were set back one hour when daylight-saving time ended 2. a.m. on Oct. 30.