LUFKIN, Texas (KTRE) – Smoke detectors save lives.
That’s one of the mottos that Lufkin firefighters use, and it’s a message they repeat every year.
Daylight saving time means more than just “springing” into a new season. For many, it’s also a reminder to check on your smoke detectors.
Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Watson explained that it’s a good time to change the batteries.
“Our recommendation is that you do this twice a year. We usually tie that with the change of time that you change the batteries in your smoke detectors,” Watson says.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, around 59% of house fire deaths occur when there is not a working smoke detector in the home.
Watson says that’s why smoke detector maintenance is important.
“If you’re not notified, if you’re asleep, you don’t know that there’s a fire, and you could very quickly and easily be overwhelmed with the smoke and not be able to evacuate on your own,” he says.
He also notes placement and number of detectors in a home matter.
“You want one outside the bedroom area such as a hallway and then you want them in any other living areas, you know, near the kitchen,” Watson says. “You don’t want to put them up in a corner because there ends up being smoke that may not actually get into the corner.”
Daylight Saving Time starts Sunday, March 8 at 2:00 am.