# 9274
Tonight most of the country goes off Daylight Savings Time, giving many of us an extra hour this evening – and while I’d far prefer to spend that time sleeping - I’ll be using it instead to change the batteries in my smoke and carbon monoxide detectors as I set my clocks back an hour.
It’s a little thing, I know. But that is what preparedness is all about. A bunch of little things that, when combined, provides huge benefits.
Incredibly, there is a house fire in this country about once every 85 seconds. According to the National Fire Protection Association, in 2013 there were 487,500 were structure fires, causing 2,855 civilian deaths, 14,075 civilian injuries, and $9.5 billion in property damage.
According to a survey conducted for NFPA, while 97% of homeowners report having at least one detector, there are still about 5 million households in the United States without a working smoke detector. Studies indicate:
- Three out of five home fire deaths resulted from fires in properties without working smoke alarms.
- The risk of dying in reported home structure fires is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms.
- Smoke alarm failures usually result from missing, disconnected, or dead batteries.
This advice from www.fire.ca.gov/
I also recommend using this twice a year time change as a reminder to inspect your emergency kit, replace any out of date items, and to review your family or business emergency plan.
Food items in my emergency pantry that are near (but not exceeding) their expiration date I donate to local food banks, or to neighbors in need.
For assistance in building your emergency kit, visit Ready.gov.
