Time change is good reminder to check smoke alarm batteries

Change your clocks, change your batteries! Fire fighters said the time change is a good opportunity to check those smoke alarms. That loud beeping sound may be annoying, but it can save your life if a fire breaks out inside your house.

“The majority of fatal fires happen at night when occupants are sleeping,” said Ben Majewski with the Salinas Fire Department.

Checking your smoke detectors is as easy as pushing the button on the face of the alarm, and holding it until you hear the audible alert. However, Majewski said many apartments and homes, particularly on the east side of town, ignore this safety procedure.

“When responding to medical calls, or fires, all too often we hear either the low battery chirps or see the smoke detectors batteries removed,” said Majewski.

In the past month there have been several devastating fires here on the Central Coast – belongings charred and homes lost, but fortunately everyone made it out alive. It’s unclear if smoke alarms played a role, but Majewski said making sure they’re properly working can’t hurt.

“Checking your smoke detector can include everything from getting out of the vacuum and dusting all the dust and cob webs and build up around it,” said Majewski.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, the risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms.

“The general recommendation is that every bedroom as well as the hallways outside of those areas have a smoke detector, and one per floor in addition beyond that,” said Majewski.

And Salinas firefighters said they’ve seen it first hand – a fire starts in seconds, and the sound of a smoke detector can also mean the seconds between life and death.