Sunday, November 1st, Daylight Saving Time ends and we “fall back” by changing the time back one hour. It is at this time that the Plainfield Fire Protection District and the International Association of Fire Chiefs asks everyone to change the batteries in their home’s smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. The National Fire Protection Association reports that 71% of smoke alarms that failed to operate had missing, disconnected or dead batteries. It’s a proven fact that working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors save lives so please ensure they are working properly by testing them monthly and changing their batteries every 6 months when we change our clocks in the spring and the fall.
If your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors have built in batteries for the life of the unit, you still need to test them monthly and replace the unit if it fails to test properly. All smoke alarms need to be replaced every ten years and carbon monoxide detectors need to be replaced every five to seven years, depending on the make and model. For more information about smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors please visit our web site at www.plainfieldfpd.com. Residents that have trouble changing their batteries may also call the Plainfield Fire Protection District for assistance at 815-436-5335 ext. 7314.