# Spring forward March 12: Change your clocks, batteries

/ Published March 9, 2023
Richmond, Va., 
Defense Logistics Agency Installation Management Richmond, Virginia’s Fire and Emergency Services would like to remind you to change the batteries in all your home smoke and carbon monoxide detectors while moving your clocks forward one hour in preparation of Daylight Saving Time March 12.

For more than 30-years, the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program has encouraged families across the country to use daylight saving time as a reminder to change the batteries in their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

It’s also recommended this be done for hard-wired detectors in case of power loss, as they are backed up by batteries.

The National Fire Protection Association estimates 96% of households in the United States have at least one smoke detector, yet the number of deaths resulting from house fires is still alarming.  In 40% of the reported home fire deaths, no smoke detectors were present and of the U.S. homes with smoke alarms, 25% of the home fire deaths were the result of the alarms failing to sound. 

When smoke detectors fail, it’s usually the result of missing, disconnected or dead batteries. 

The NFPA states households with smoke detectors that do not work properly, outnumber those without them.

There were more than 50 fatalities last year in Virginia where homes with smoke detectors, but not working as compared to just one residence with smoke detectors present and working. There was only one fatality where detectors were not present at all.

According to the NFPA, the difference in fatal fires in homes with working detectors versus non-working detectors is astonishing.

Even though these fatal fires often occur late in the evening or the wee hours of the mornings, one critical instrument in saving lives can be as simple as installing working smoke detectors.

Properly installed and maintained smoke detectors save lives and protect against injuries, loss of property caused by fires.  Your chances of survival more than doubles in a home fire with working smoke detectors compared to homes without them.

Safety tips to keep your family safe:
      - Use interconnected smoke detectors. When one smoke detector sounds, they all sound.
      - Install smoke detectors inside and outside each bedroom and sleeping area. Install detectors on every level of the home and in the basement.
      - Test all smoke detectors at least once a month. This can be done by pressing the “test” button on the detector to ensure it’s working correctly.
      - A smoke detector should be installed on the ceiling or high on a wall. Keep smoke alarms away from the kitchen to reduce false alarms and should be at least 10 feet from the stove.
      - People who are hard-of-hearing or deaf can use special smoke detectors. These detectors have strobe lights and bed shakers.
      - Replace all smoke detectors when they are 10 years old.

DLA Installation Management Richmond’s Fire and Emergency Services also encourages those of you who have carbon monoxide detectors, to change the batteries in them as well.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that can kill you before you are even aware it is in your house. It causes side effects such as headaches, nausea, dizziness, disorientation, and fatigue that are often mistaken for the flu. These effects can vary greatly from person to person depending on age, overall health, and length of exposure.