Springing ahead? Don't forget to "Turn and Test"

Daylight saving time begins this Sunday, March 12, and the American Red Cross of Western New York encourages everyone to TURN your clocks forward one hour, and TEST your smoke alarms.

Did you know that having working smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half? Home fires are the nation’s most frequent disaster with Red Cross volunteers responding to an emergency every 8 minutes, on average. In the month of February alone, Red Cross of WNY Disaster Action Team (DAT) members provided immediate emergency assistance in the aftermath of home fires to 269 individuals across our region.

That’s why it’s critical to “Turn and Test” this weekend and take these lifesaving steps to keep your loved ones safe in the event of a home fire. 

·         Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas. Test alarms monthly and replace the batteries at least once a year if your model requires it.

·         Replace smoke alarms that are 10 years or older. That’s because the sensor becomes less sensitive over time. Check the date of your smoke alarms and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

·         Practice your two-minute escape plan. Make sure everyone in your household can get out in less than two minutes — the amount of time you may have to get out of a burning home before it’s too late. Include at least two ways to get out from every room and select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone knows where to meet.

·         Teach children what a smoke alarm sounds like. Talk about fire safety and what to do in an emergency.

Visit redcross.org/fire for more information, including an escape plan to practice with your family. You can also download our free Emergency app by searching for “American Red Cross” in app stores. 

HOME FIRE CAMPAIGN SAVING LIVES The Red Cross responds to more than 60,000 disasters every year and most of them are home fires. To help prevent fire-related deaths and injuries, the Red Cross launched the Home Fire Campaign with community partners in 2014 to reduce fire-related deaths and injuries.

Recently, with support from thousands of community partners, the campaign met its goal of installing 2.5 million free smoke alarms and making 1 million households safer across the country. So far, the Home Fire Campaign is credited with saving more than 1,583 lives in the U.S. Because home fires remain a daily threat and the campaign has made a lifesaving difference, the Red Cross will be continuing the program with community partners as part of its standard services across the country.