Friday, October 20, 2006
Well the trip to the Amaze’n Farmyard today was a lot of fun! Weather was cool but not too bad. The kids enjoyed the maze, petting the animals, and the mini golf… but they LOVED the giant slide. Feels like we went up and down all day long….
Here’s a reminder for you… Don’t forget to turn your clock back one hour at 2:00 am on Sunday morning, the 29th. Daylight saving time is officially ends and we can gain an extra hour of sleep! (Remember to “Spring forward and Fall back”) AND In addition to sleeping an extra hour, don’t forget to check your smoke detectors and change the batteries.
When daylights savings time begins or ends, do you regularly change your smoke detector batteries? This can be a lifesaving habit. Smoke detectors that don't work can't save lives. Surveys show that as many as 50% of the smoke detectors in American homes have dead batteries. Without a working smoke detector to issue an early warning, fire can spread quickly through a household, blocking escape routes and filling rooms with deadly smoke.
There should be at least one smoke detector outside of each sleeping area and on every floor of your home. For increased protection, it is recommended that a smoke detector be installed in each sleeping room. All smoke detectors must be inspected and tested on a monthly basis. Properly installed and working smoke detectors will provide an early warning and nearly double the chance of surviving a fire.
Consider these facts:
- Each day, an average of three kids die in home fires - 1,100 children each year. About 3,600 children are injured in house fires each year. 90 percent of child fire deaths occur in homes without working smoke detectors.
- Although smoke detectors are in 92 percent of American homes, nearly half don't work because of old or missing batteries.
- A working smoke detector reduces the risk of dying in a home fire by nearly half.
This is a great time for your family (or child care) to go through the Fire Safety Checklist…
Change Your Smoke Detector Batteries
The IAFC and fire experts nationwide encourage people to practice using a child fire safetychecklist by including changing smoke detector batteries at least annually. An easy way to remember to change your batteries is when you turn your clock back in the fall. Replace old batteries with fresh, high quality alkaline batteries, such as energizer brand batteries, to keep your smoke detector going year-long. Include your child when you do this and show them a print out of the "Child Fire Safety Checklist." And enjoy some fun activities at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/kids/flash.shtm
Check Your Smoke Detectors
After inserting a fresh battery in your smoke detector, check to make sure the smoke detector itself is working by pushing the safety test button.
Count Your Smoke Detectors
Install at least one smoke detector on every level of your home, including the basement and family room and, most important, outside all bedrooms. Include the count on your child fire safety checklist.
Vacuum Your Smoke DetectorsEach month, clean your smoke detectors of dust and cobwebs to ensure their sensitivity.
Change Your Flashlight Batteries
To make sure your emergency flashlights work when you need them, use high-quality alkaline batteries. Note: Keep a working flashlight near your bed, in the kitchen, basement and family room, andd use it to signal for help in the event of a fire. You can even write the date you changed them on your child fire safety checklist so you can easily remember.
Install Fire Extinguishers
Install a fire extinguisher in or near your kitchen and know how to use it. Should you need to purchase one, the IAFC recommends a multi-or all-purpose fire extinguisher that is listed by an accredited testing laboratory such as Underwriters Laboratory.
Plan and Practice Your Escape
Create at least two different escape routes and practice them with the entire family. Children are at double the risk of dying in a home fire because they often become scared and confused during fires. Make sure your children understand that a smoke detector signals a home fire and that they recognize its alarm.
Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery
Energizer brand Batteries, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)and your local fire department urge you to adopt a simple, potentially lifesaving habit: change the batteries in your smoke detector when you change your clocks back to standard time in the fall.
Hope you enjoy your week (and enjoy your extra hour of sleep!) Take care of those smoke detectors and "and hey... let's be careful out there"...
