American Red Cross officials in Kansas are urging residents to test their smoke alarms or replace the batteries as they change their clocks for the end of Daylight Saving Time.
Shannon Wedge, executive director for the Kansas and Oklahoma region of the Red Cross, said in a press release that home fires claim more lives every year than all natural disasters combined, but a working smoke alarm can cut the risk in half. Over the past year, the Red Cross responded to help over 1,200 people who were affected by 370 home fires across Kansas.
The Red Cross has several tips for smoke alarms:
• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas.
• Replace smoke alarms that are 10 years or older. Components such as sensors can become less sensitive over time. Follow your alarm’s manufacturer instructions.
• Practice your two-minute home fire escape plan. Make sure everyone in your household can get out in less than two minutes — the amount of time you may have to escape a burning home before it’s too late.
• Include at least two ways to get out of every room and select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone can meet.
More information is available at the web site redcross.org/fire
