Crime & Safety
Change Clocks, Change Batteries, Foster City Fire Department Says
Foster City residents urged to change smoke detector batteries when they reset their clocks for Eastern Standard Time, and Daylight Savings Time.
The Foster City Fire Department is urging local residents take a few minutes this weekend to take some precautions that are as simple as remembering “spring forward, fall back.”
Fire Chief Dan Belville is asking Foster City residents to use part of the extra hour they’ll get when they turn their clocks back for Eastern Standard Time at 2 a.m. on Sunday to take preventative measures to protect their families and property from catastrophe.
The most important measure is changing the batteries in smoke detectors. Fire experts recommend using the semiannual clock changes as a reminder to swap out smoke detector every time the clock is reset for EST or Daylight Savings Time.
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The Fire Department also recommends testing smoke detectors by pressing the “test” button most smoke detectors feature, and planning and practicing escape routes with the entire family.
Families should also prepare a fire safety kit that includes working flashlights and fresh batteries.
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Non-working smoke detectors should be replaced immediately, and all smoke detectors should be replaced every 10 years whether they appear to be working or not, according to the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
Three children a day die in home fires, with 80 percent of those deadly blazes occurring in homes without working smoke detectors, the FCFD said.
Most home fires occur between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., when most families are asleep.
