Dear fellow Hanoverians:
Our very own Hanover Fire Department sent along the following information.
Thanks to the good folks at the HFD for caring so much about our community!
This weekend, March 13 and 14, we will all be setting our clocks to Daylight
Saving Time. The time change is a good reminder to check your smoke alarms.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, more than 66 percent
of home fire deaths that occurred between 2003-2006 were in homes without a
working smoke alarm. A working smoke alarm significantly increases your
chances of surviving a deadly home fire.
A properly installed and maintained smoke alarm is the only thing in your
home that can alert you and your family to a fire 24 hours a day, seven days
a week. Whether you’re awake or asleep, a working smoke alarm is constantly
on alert, scanning the air for fire and smoke. Smoke alarms must be
maintained! A smoke alarm with a dead or missing battery is the same as
having no smoke alarm at all, so test your smoke alarm monthly by pushing
the "test" button, if it has one.
Smoke alarms are powered by either a battery or are hardwired into your
home’s electrical system. Hardwired smoke alarms are usually equipped with a
backup battery. If your smoke alarm is powered by battery, the battery
needs to be replaced annually unless it is a long-life battery (check the
owner’s manual). All batteries should be maintained and replaced in
accordance with manufacturer’s guidance.
Choose an annual date, such as the time change, when you will remember to
maintain your smoke alarm in tip top condition. Check the manufacturer’s
expiration date on the label, replace the batteries if needed, and clean
dust away from the slots so that smoke can enter freely. All smoke alarms,
hard-wired and battery powered, should be replaced every ten years. These
simple steps will help ensure that you and your family will have the best
chance of surviving if fire should strike.
United States Fire Administration has a fire safety campaign called Install.
Inspect. Protect. which provides information about home smoke alarms and
fire sprinklers. Please visit the campaign Web site at
www.usfa.dhs.gov/campaigns/smokealarms/
.
For "Around Town on the Web",
Cathy H-B
"Around Town on the Web" is a community service that has been provided to
self-selected residents of the Town of Hanover since the spring of 2004. If
someone forwarded this message to you and you would like to receive these
communications directly, please e-mail your first and last name and e-mail
address to cathyhb@atotw.com . If you would
like to be removed from this distribution list, please e-mail your request
to me at cathyhb@atotw.com . For submission
guidelines and answers to frequently asked questions about "ATOTW", please
go to www.atotw.com . To search for archived "ATOTW" news, just go to
https://atotw.com/archive .