BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana State Fire Marshal Chief Dan Wallis is encouraging all Louisianans to check the status of smoke alarms, carbon monoxide (CO) alarms and any other life-saving devices in their homes when changing their clocks ahead one hour for Daylight Saving Time this Sunday, March 12, 2023, at 2 am.
“It’s been a long-standing practice in the fire safety world for these two tasks to go hand-in-hand--change your smoke and CO alarm batteries when you change your clocks,” said Wallis, “These days, as many clocks spring forward automatically, it’s especially important for this reminder to reach every household in Louisiana. Take a moment right now to put ‘change your clocks, change your batteries’ on your to-do list for this weekend.”
When checking the batteries of these devices, also take note of their age. If smoke or CO alarms are older than 10 years, the State Fire Marshal's Office (SFMO) highly recommends upgrading to the 10-year, sealed battery alarms, which don’t require any battery replacement throughout their lifetime. These newer alarms will, however, require pressing the “test” button once a month to ensure the devices are in working order, something the SFMO already suggests.
“We say it all the time, but it is a fact that smoke alarms save lives,” said Wallis, “In 2022, almost 80 Louisianans lost their lives in residential fires. Only three of those cases involved structures with working smoke alarms at the time of the fires. Make sure your family is protected by having these devices in your home and in working order at all times.”
If you do not have a smoke alarm, and cannot afford one, Operation Save-A-Life can help. The program partners with local fire departments to install smoke alarms for free for Louisiana families that need them most. To learn more about the program and register for a smoke alarm, visit lasfm.org. Additionally, you can contact your local fire department to request a smoke alarm installation.
