Important Letter from our Fire Chief

As the time change approaches on Sunday, November 7, the Scarsdale Fire Department wants to remind residents to make another change that could save their lives: changing the batteries in their smoke detectors.

Communities nationwide witness tragic home fire deaths each year. An average of three children per day die in home fires and 80 percent of those occur in homes without working smoke detectors. Non-working smoke detectors rob residents of the protective benefits home fire safety devices were designed to provide. The most commonly cited cause of non-working smoke detectors is worn or missing batteries.

Changing smoke detector batteries at least once a year is one of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce these tragic deaths and injuries. In fact, working smoke detectors nearly cut in half the risk of dying in a home fire. Additionally, the International Association of Fire Chiefs recommends replacing your smoke detectors every 10 years.

To save lives and prevent needless injuries in Scarsdale, the Scarsdale Fire Department has joined forces with Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs for the 22nd year of the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® campaign. The program urges all Americans to adopt a simple, lifesaving habit: changing smoke detector batteries when changing clocks back to standard time each fall, this year on November 7.

“The peak time for home fire fatalities is between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. when most families are sleeping,” says Fire Chief Thomas Cain. “Smoke detector maintenance is a simple, effective way to reduce home fire deaths. Children and senior citizens are most at risk, and a working smoke detector can give them the extra seconds they need to get out safely.”

In addition, Chief Cain recommends residents use the “extra” hour they save from the time change to test smoke detectors by pushing the test button, planning two ways out of their home, and practicing escape routes with the entire family. Families should also prepare a fire safety kit that includes working flashlights and fresh batteries.

Thomas M. Cain Chief of Department
50 Tompkins Road Scarsdale, NY 10583
Tel 914-722-1215 Fax 914-722-1214