The “spring forward” weekend is here. Daylight Savings Time begins Saturday night and we can move our clocks ahead one hour.
Firefighters say Daylight Savings time-change weekends also marks a time you should replace the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and ensure they’re working.
Bancroft Fire Deputy Chief Matt Musclow says that while many people know the importance of smoke detectors, firefighters are still trying to push the importance of carbon monoxide detectors, which protect people from the hard-to-detect, but potentially deadly gas.
“Carbon monoxide detectors have been around a bit now and it is the law to have them if you have fuel-burning appliances,” he says. “But it’s the same as smoke alarms; people seem to neglect them and seem to (forget) to ensure they’re installed properly. So we want to remind people to make sure they’re there.”
Musclow also says if you’re unsure if your detectors are working, just call the fire department, as firefighters are happy to help.
“We would much rather come to an alarm call than it being something way more serious,” he says. “With carbon monoxide, there’s no taste, there’s no colour, there’s no odor. So if you don’t have a working alarm in your house, there’s no way to know you’re having an issue, other than you’ll start to get sick. So we will gladly come. We have tools we use to check and make sure things are functioning properly.”
Musclow also says, with spring around the corner, it’s also a good time to clean your chimney. He recommends hiring a licensed technician to do so.