(Spirit Lake)– With the time change this weekend comes a reminder to change the batteries in your smoke detectors. Spirit Lake Fire Chief Pat Daly…
“The batteries is really what runs the device, so we have to keep them up to date. And with the time change it just makes it easy to remember to go ahead and change the battery in those devices. We’ve been teaching that to the kids as fire prevention for a lot of years here and it’s just an easy way to remember to do it.”
And if that detector is 10 years old or more, it’s time to replace it. Daly offers this advice as to where they should be installed your home…
“We like them in the ceiling but you don’t want to get them too close to the walls because as the smoke comes up it’s pushing air and as it hits the ceiling it pushes the smoke out a little bit, so stay out about a foot, two feet, from the wall and put it right on the ceiling. We like to see one in each bedroom, one in the hallways and at least one on each floor is kind of what the code says.”
It’s also that time of the year when we’re starting up those furnaces for the first time. Daly says now is a good time to have them inspected by a professional…
“There’s companies that come out and do a complete check out of your system to make sure it’s okay, make sure it’s venting right and all of that stuff. If you’re using electric heaters, make sure there’s no drapes or anything close to them. Make sure they’re the new ones that have the tip over device so if it tips over it shuts off. That just cuts down on some of the fires.”
Daly also highly recommends getting a carbon monoxide detector if you don’t already have one. And if you DO have one, you should consider replacing it if it has some years on it. And a reminder to set your clocks BACK one hour before going to bed Saturday evening.
