News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Daylight Saving Time this weekend serves as a reminder to change the batteries in your smoke alarm.
Baxter Fire Chief Matthew White said that the tradition helps people to keep track of the recommended twice a year battery change. However, he said that some newer smoke alarm models don’t require such frequency.
“A lot of new ones have a 10-year warranty and have a lithium battery in them that is good for approximately 10 years, so some of the new ones don’t have to have a battery change,” White said. “But we want you to test those to make sure they’re up to working order, and they do the alarm, and you go over safety planning in your house, along with that time change.”
White said that new recommendations for fire safety indicate the need to have an alarm on each floor of the house and in each bedroom. He said that the county currently has a program to install free smoke alarms for interested parties.
“Contact any of your local fire departments,” White said. “All of them have a local smoke alarm detector program to where they come and install them for free. They can call any of their local departments, they can call us no problem and we’ll get them scheduled and come out there and help.”
