The conversation about the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® program is sponsored through the Motherhood; all opinions are my own.
You’ve probably heard the slogan, “Change Your Clock Change Your Battery®,” but do you know the statistics behind this simple phrase? They’re sobering. You’d think something as important would get more of our attention, but in reality, it doesn’t. So why should you take a few minutes out of your weekend to change the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors? It’s simple, they could save your life and the lives of those you love.
US Home Fire Statistics
- Did you know that home fires kill more than 2,500 people each year in the US alone.* That’s an average of seven people every day. * Millions more are injured.
- Most people have detectors. In fact, the installation of smoke detectors in homes has soared, from just 10% in 1975 to 95 percent in 2000.* But they don’t work if they have dead batteries, are broken or defective, or are too old to work. In fact, homes with non-working smoke alarms now outnumber households with without smoke alarms.*
- Three out of five deaths from home fires occur in homes without a working smoke alarm – 71% of the smoke alarms that failed had missing, disconnected or dead batteries*.
- The reality of fatalities is that only 20% of reported home fires occur between 11pm and 7am, but overnight fires caused 50% of all home fire deaths. Additionally, 36% of the victims never woke up before succumbing.
- In a study by Energizer, 70% of participants believed they would have enough time to evacuate their home in case of a fire and 30% said that they or their family member could detect a fire. In reality, home fires don’t give you must time to escape and they aren’t easy to detect – especially when they’re in the crawlspace, attic, garage, or closed off room.
*Source: National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Change Your Clock Change Your Battery
That’s why instead of guessing whether or not your family is safe, Energizer® in partnership with the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) wants you to Change Your Clock Change Your Battery®. Twice a year when we change the clocks, put fresh batteries in all your safety devices and when you re-install them, do a test on each to be sure each is functioning properly. But don’t toss those old batteries, use them in your other non-life saving electronics and when they’re spent, check out the Energizer Battery Recycling Program.
If I seem passionate about the cause, it’s because I am. Over the last 35 years, I’ve lived with a fire fighter so I know all too well how real these statistics are. In fact, in the district where my husband serves, I would bet they’re even higher. It’s common to go to minor fire calls and find a non-working smoke alarm. The excuses for why batteries have been removed can sometime be comical, though they’re not when you think about the alternative. Sometimes the caller hasn’t checked the alarm in years and other times they didn’t even check to see if one was in the house before moving in. I can’t tell you how many times the caller has said the batteries were removed just the day before.
Energizer Supports The Community
Fire safety is for everyone and Energizer wants to make sure it is. They’ve donated a quarter of a million batteries this fall to US fire departments, including my husbands, so that they can get them into the hands of families in need. They also host Fire Safety Awareness events during October’s National Fire Prevention Month which culminates with the end of daylight saving time on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2014. But you can get Fire Safety information all year long.
Fire Safety Planning & Activities
Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® is a great time to create or update a family safety plan that includes a fire plan. It reminds kids what to do if the alarms go off and gives them a chance to practice their safety skills. As children grow, it’s a good time to add new information or responsibilities – are they staying home alone now? They should know how to turn off the gas or open the garage door in case of power outage. Free resources are available as well as activities for younger children to help bring home the lesson of safety.
Now it’s up to you to make the time to take care of this lifesaving household task. Add batteries to your shopping list and set aside an hour this weekend to make your home safer for those you love.
Seattle Fire Safety Event – November 1
Energizer is hosting several fire safety events across the country where visitors can get life-saving information and some Energizer items. Plus it’s a chance to say hello to the Energizer Bunny in person! The Seattle event will be held at the Bartell Drugs Store in Seattle (100 N 85th St) between 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Win a Energizer Fire Safety Gift Pack
TWO lucky winners will receive a fire safety gift pack to make sure their family is covered.
Each Fire Safety Gift Pack includes:
- Smoke Detector and 2 pack 9V Energizer® batteries
- 12-inch Energizer® Bunny and Energizer® foam bunny ears
- Coloring Book
- Journal & Pen (create your fire safety plan, or track when alarms are installed and batteries replaced- they have expiration dates – did you know that?)
:giveaways:
I didn’t check mine, but this is a good reminder to do it! And when I replace the batteries, I’ll drop my old ones off for recycling!
coriwestphal at msn dot com
I did replace the old batteries in the smoke alarms and the carbon monoxide detector. I’m surprised I remembered to do it right away, I’m usually a week late on these things. The old batteries get put in a plastic baggy marked “used by usable” and will be used for kids toys until they die.
When it’s time to change the clocks we check our smoke alarms at the same time. They have new batteries installed. I save the old batteries to recharge them.
I check and replace my batteries with every time change but am not so good at testing them in between times. My batteries go into a box that gets dropped off when our community has their free waste disposal program every spring/summer.
Did you Change Your Clock Change Your Batteries? Yes
Did you check the alarms to be sure they worked before reinstalling them? Yes
What’d you do with the old batteries? Taking them to work for recycling.
We change our batteries in our fire detectors. I have not done anything with my old batteries because I did not know I could. I will be looking into it though.
We do remember to check our alarm batteries regularly. We take out batteries to be recycled.
Checked and replaced batteries. I have a drawer full of random old batteries. I really need to look into disposal.
We do check our fire alarm batteries at the time change. We test the alarms then as well. We recycle our old batteries at the hazardous waster drop-off center for our county.
We will check and/or replace our batteries this weekend. We save old batteries and turn them in at the recycling center in town.
We will be changing ours this weekend. We normally throw them away but there isn’t any recycling program local to us.
I always change batteries when the time changes. I heard that campaign so much growing up that now its just normal for me. I will throw the batteries out ( I know its not good for the environment but there isn’t a recycle program anyway near me)
We are changing ours today! We toss the old ones!
We change our this weekend
I changed my batteries yesterday! We recycle our old batteries. Our alarms also get checked periodically since my father in law in a firefighter and everytime he comes over he beeps them lol
Too funny. They can’t help themselves, can they 🙂
I do check my alarms and change batteries on Jan 1st. I recycle the batteries.
My husband checked them recently. I am not sure what he does with the old batteries.
Mine beep when they are low, I just changed one about 3 weeks ago actually. I recycle the old batteries at work.
i checked my alarms last week, changed the batteries, i collect batteries over time them recycle them