Daylight Savings Time comes to an end on Sunday, Nov. 6, and while the Red Cross is reminding residents to turn their clocks back, testing smoke alarms should be the real priority over the weekend. Over the last year, Red Cross volunteers responded to nearly 500 home fires.
“Home fires claim more lives in a typical year than all natural disasters combined,” says Josh Murray, spokesperson for the American Red Cross Serving Nebraska. “The sooner an alarm alerts you to a fire, the sooner you can get out.”
The Red Cross has released a list of tips to help residents optimize their fire safety:
- Install smoke alarms on every floor of your home. This includes both inside and outside bedrooms and other sleeping areas.
- Replace any smoke alarm that is 10 years old or older. Sensors can grow less sensitive with time. Your fire alarm manufacturer should have instructions you can follow.
- Practice a home fire escape plan and set the time for two minutes. Every household member should be able to get out in under two minutes, because two minutes is how long you might have to escape a burning house before it’s too late.
- Include at least two ways to get out of every room and select a meeting spot where household members can meet at a safe distance away from your home. This could be your neighbor’s home or a well-known and distinctive landmark in your area, like a specific tree in your front yard.
If you need assistance installing a fire alarm, you can call 1-800-733-27677 (RED-CROSS), and the Red Cross may send volunteers to your address to install it for you.