FARMERSBURG, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — As residents prepare to change their clocks and “spring forward” into daylight savings time, the Illinois State Fire Marshal is reminding folks to test, inspect and change batteries in their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
“It’s simple, working smoke alarms save lives! Replacing broken or expired smoke alarms will provide an early warning and help prevent loss of life due to fire,” said Illinois State Fire Marshal Matt Perez. “Construction materials used in today’s homes are made from more synthetic materials which means they burn hotter and faster, while also producing toxic smoke. This means people typically have less than 3 minutes to escape their homes, which makes the early warning that smoke alarms provide even more vital.”
According to reports from the National Fire Protection Association, between 2014 and 2018, almost three out of every five home fire deaths in the U.S. resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or non-working smoke alarms. The chance of dying in a home fire is reduced by 55% in homes where a working smoke alarm was present.
In 2021 in Illinois, 80% of pre-existing smoke alarms being replaced in homes that received the new 10-year sealed battery alarms through the “Be Alarmed!” program was found to be non-functional or were expired. Thanks to the “Be Alarmed!” program, in 2021, over 1,000 Illinois homes and 2,268 residents are now protected by new smoke alarms and were educated about the importance of having a fire safety plan.
A 2017 Illinois law requires ten-year sealed smoke alarms be installed in all homes built before 1988 or that do not have hardwired smoke detectors by January 1, 2023.
