Every year in November we turn our clocks back an hour, but the Bancroft fire department says there’s more you should be doing.
Matt Musclow, the fire prevention officer with the Bancroft fire department, says you should change the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detector. Musclow says that while most of those devices are hard-wired, it’s important to make sure the batteries are working as a back-up. He added that when you move your clocks back an hour, it should serve as a reminder to change the batteries in smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector as well.
Musclow says that you should take a look as the expiry date on the devices as well. Carbon monoxide detectors are good for seven years, while smoke detectors are good for 10. After they expire, Musclow says that the manufacturer can’t guarantee they’ll work as intended. “It’s actually a fire code requirement to get them replaced within those time limits,” he says.