Change Your Clocks Check Your Smoke Alarms

Daylight saving's time starts this Sunday at 2:00 am.  Over the years the fire service has done a great job of getting the message out that when you change your clocks you should also change the batteries in the smoke alarms that protect your home.  Oregon's a unique state though, where you may not necessarily need to change your batteries this weekend, and where even doing so could make your home less safe!

In 1998 the Oregon legislature passed a law that required all ionization type smoke alarms that receive their power from a battery to have a battery capable of lasting 10 years.  This meant that our old friend the 9 volt alkaline battery was being replaced by it's stronger cousin the lithium ion battery.  On the outside these batteries look the same, they are still that classic rectangle shape with the two round connections on one end, it's the inside of the battery where the chemicals that store the energy are located that there's a difference.  Science has shown that the lithium ion battery is capable of outlasting the alkaline powered batteries of yesterday.  

So what does all of this mean, and what exactly are you supposed to do when you go and change your clocks this weekend?  What we suggest is that when you change your clocks you check your smoke alarms.  You're probably asking, but check them for what?

• If the smoke alarm is ten years old, regardless of how it is powered, replace it!  Smoke alarms have about a ten year life span and after that you can expect more false alarms and less sensitivity to real smoke in the home.
  
•  If you have an ionization smoke alarm that is battery operated simply test it.  How do you tell if it is an ionization type?  There are two common types of smoke alarms in most all of our homes and the difference lies in how they detect the presence of smoke.  For years the ionization types were the most common ones found in stores but within the last ten years or so a new type called photoelectric smoke alarms have become readily available.  Both should be labeled either on the surface of the alarm or on a decal on the underside of the alarm. 
  
• If your smoke alarm is hardwired to the electrical circuits of your home simply replace the back up battery, a standard 9 volt alkaline battery meets the requirements of Oregon state law for back up power of hardwired smoke alarms. 
  
• If your smoke alarm battery says something like "long life lithium" or "ten year battery power" leave it in the alarm and do not replace it with an alkaline battery.  This will actually not only void the warranty of the smoke alarm, but it can give a false impression that the battery contained within is capable of lasting for ten years and may lead to not changing the battery in a timely manner in the future.  

When you test your smoke alarm it's also a good idea to get the entire family involved and practice a fire drill.  Now is the perfect time to sit down with the kids and prepare a home fire escape map.  Have the kids draw up a map of the floor plan and show two ways out of your bedrooms that lead to a meeting place.  Everyone should know that once you get to the meeting place you never go back into the home until it's safe to do so  Once you are done preparing your plan it's not good enough to just stick it to the refrigerator with a magnet, now you must practice your plan so everyone knows what to do.  We suggest that right before the kids would normally wake up that the parents test the smoke alarms so that the children can experience the sound of waking up to the smoke alarms and go through the motions of escaping a house when it's dark.  

As with all things, if you need help testing your smoke alarms or practicing a family fire escape drill we would gladly help you.  You can call our fire station anytime during normal business hours at 503-992-3240 and one of our firefighters can assist you in making your home as safe as it can be.