Daylight Saving Time ended on Sunday, November 7, 2021, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends marking the time change by replacing the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms. With people spending more time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, causing furnaces, fireplaces, and other fuel-burning appliances to put in extra work, working smoke and CO alarms have never been more important.
CPSC estimates an annual average of 362,000 unintentional residential fires, resulting in approximately 2,400 deaths, 10,400 injuries and $7 billion in property losses from 2016 through 2018.
Cooking equipment accounted for the largest percentage of fires. An estimated annual average of 168,600 cooking equipment-related fires from 2016 through 2018 accounted for 46.6 percent of the average annual estimate of total residential fires for the same period. This estimate is based on the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Survey of Fire Departments and the U.S. Fire Administration’s (USFA) National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) data.
Carbon monoxide is called the invisible killer, because you cannot see or smell it. Carbon monoxide poisoning can come from portable generators, home heating systems and other CO-producing appliances. The majority of CO deaths occur in the colder months of the year between November and February.
More than 400 people die every year of CO poisoning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
After replacing the batteries this year, check alarms every month to make sure they are working. Better yet, install alarms with 10-year sealed batteries that don’t need replacing for a decade. Create a fire escape plan, including two ways out of every room, and practice it. Check your home for other hidden hazards, using CPSC’s COVID-19 safety checklist.
Original safety article at CPSC