The Illinois State Fire Marshal’s office is urging the public to test their smoke alarms as they ‘spring forward’ before going to bed Saturday night.
Daylight saving time serves as a great reminder to press the test button on your smoke and C-O Detectors and wait for the beep sound.
Fire Marshal spokesperson JC Fultz says if you have an older detector with removable batteries, it’s wise to replace the batteries now. He notes that you may be surprised to find that some alarms aren’t working.
“It was found in 2022 in Illinois 66 percent of pre-existing smoke alarms that were being replaced through our alarm replacement program were found to be non-functioning or there were no smoke alarms were found in the home. Those are scary statistics.”
Fultz says having working detectors is more important than ever.
“Because now the synthetic materials that are used in modern home construction, these homes are being faster and are burning hotter. Toxic fumes are limiting our escape times to three minutes or less. That is why it is so vital that residence that residents have working smoke detectors at home.
While you’re at it, Fultz recommends creating a plan for what to do if a fire breaks out, determining two exit options for each room and a meeting spot one everyone escapes the house.
