Austin Fire Department: Change Batteries In Smoke Alarms When You Change Your Clocks This Weekend

End of Daylight Saving Time and clock change serves as reminder to change batteries in smoke alarms when you change your clocks this weekend

AUSTIN- On Sunday, November 5, 2017, Austinites will “fall back” with the end of Daylight Saving Time, moving their clocks back one hour until the spring.

According to the Austin Fire Department (AFD), this event is an excellent opportunity to remind folks to also check—and, if necessary, change—the batteries in their smoke alarms. The number one reason that lives are saved in a fire is the presence of a working smoke alarm.

If you or someone you know needs smoke alarms, the Austin Fire Department will provide and install them for free! Just call the smoke alarm hotline at (512) 974-0299 (Austin Only).

 “A working smoke alarm is the simplest, cheapest life insurance you can buy,” said AFD Fire Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr. “It only takes a few minutes to check and change the batteries, but it could save your life.

And remember: all smoke alarms should be replaced after 10 years. If you don’t know how to determine the manufacturer date for your smoke alarms, we can help with that, too, so call us!”

The Austin Fire Department was founded on September 25, 1857 and is now one of the 20 largest departments in the country, with 46 fire stations located throughout the city and more than 1,100 employees.

For more information about life-saving fire prevention, please visit austinfiredepartment.org.