FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: March 8,2013 Contact: Mark L. Doyle Phone: 540-379-7831 It’s Time to Spring Forward: Change Your Clock, Check Your Battery Stafford Virginia: On March 10, 2013 at 2 a.m. EST we will all be setting our clocks to Daylight Saving Time. The time change is a good reminder to check your smoke alarms. 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. What powers a smoke alarm?
Smoke alarms are powered by battery or they are hardwired into the home’s electrical system. If the smoke alarm is powered by battery, it runs on either a disposable 9-volt battery or a non-replaceable 10-year lithium (“long-life”) battery. A backup battery is usually present on hardwired alarms and may need to be replaced. These batteries must be tested on a regular basis and, in most cases, should be replaced at least once each year (except for lithium batteries). Keep reading for information on how to properly maintain each type of smoke alarm.
Install smoke alarms in key areas of your home
Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement. Many fatal fires begin late at night or early in the morning, so the U.S. Fire Administration recommends installing smoke alarms both inside and outside of sleeping areas. Since smoke and many deadly gases rise, installing your smoke alarms at the proper level will provide you with the earliest warning possible. Always follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions. Hardwired smoke alarms should be installed by a qualified electrician.
Stafford County Fire and Rescue Department 1225 Courthouse Rd Stafford Va. 540-658-7200
Smoke alarm maintenance
Is your smoke alarm still working? Smoke alarms must be maintained! A smoke alarm with a dead or missing battery is the same as having no smoke alarm at all.
A smoke alarm only works when it is properly installed and maintained. Depending on how your smoke alarm is powered (9-volt, 10-year lithium, or hardwired), you’ll have to maintain it according to manufacturer’s instructions. General guidelines for smoke alarm maintenance: Smoke alarm powered by a 9-volt battery
Replace the batteries at least once per year.
The entire smoke alarm unit should be replaced every 8-10 years.
Smoke alarm powered by a 10-year lithium (or “long life”) battery
Since you cannot (and should not) replace the lithium battery, the entire smoke alarm unit should be replaced according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Smoke alarm that is hardwired into the home’s electrical system
The backup battery should be replaced at least once per year.
The entire smoke alarm unit should be replaced every 8-10 years.
Never disable a smoke alarm
A smoke alarm is just doing its job when it sounds while you’re cooking or taking a shower with lots of steam.
If a smoke alarm sounds while you’re cooking or taking a shower with lots of steam, do not remove the battery. You should:
Open a window or door and press the “hush” button,
Wave a towel at the alarm to clear the air, or
Move the entire alarm several feet away from the location.
Disabling a smoke alarm or removing the battery can be a deadly mistake.
Losing an hour of sleep this weekend when we “spring forward” may be unavoidable, but by following these guidelines for proper installation and maintenance of your smoke alarms you can avoid something far worse . . . losing your life! Please contact the Stafford County Fire and Rescue Department for assistance with obtaining, installation, inspection or replacing the batteries in your smoke alarm.
Stafford County Fire and Rescue Department 1225 Courthouse Rd Stafford Va. 540-658-7200
CONTINUING EDUCATION Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Current Approach to Treatment by Chris Paxos, PharmD, BCPP, CGP; and Sara E. Dugan, PharmD, BCPP event. Similar to variations in exposure to traumatic events, the prevalence of PTSD also has been found to vary wide-ly. It is estimated that the lifetime prevalence of PTSD in the U traumatic stress disorder. general population is 5-
