Las Vegas City Wire

When you set your clocks forward one hour this weekend for the spring time change, Clark County Fire Department officials are reminding the public to take a few extra minutes to change the batteries in the smoke detectors in your home. Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 12.

Officials say the spring time change is good time of year to get into the potentially life-saving habit of changing batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. 

“Smoke alarms play a vital role in reducing fire deaths and injuries,” said Clark County Fire Chief John Steinbeck. “Making sure the smoke alarms in your home are properly operating is a low-cost way to keep you and your family safe in the event of a fire.”

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless gas created when fuels such as gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas or propane burn incompletely. Officials say any fuel-burning item has the potential to produce dangerous levels of CO gas including automobiles, charcoal grills, fireplaces and woodstoves and gas appliances such as dryers, stoves and water heaters.  Always keep garage doors open when running a vehicle or other motor engine, and make sure vents for dryers, furnaces and similar appliances are clear.  Generators should be used in well-ventilated locations away from windows and doors; gas and charcoal grills should only be used outdoors. Officials say when CO detectors and smoke alarms fail to operate, it’s usually because the batteries aren’t working.  Suggested tips include:

                                                                                  Smoke Alarms

• Smoke alarms more than 10 years old need to be replaced.
• Test smoke alarms at least once a month using the test button; replace immediately if they don’t respond properly when tested.
• Make sure everyone in the home understands the sound of the smoke alarm and how to respond.
• Chirping alarms are a warning sign that that battery is low and needs to be replaced.
• Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home.
• Smoke rises; install smoke alarms following manufacturer’s instructions high on a wall or on a ceiling.
• Smoke alarms with strobe lights and vibration devices are available for hearing impaired people.

                                                                                            CO Alarms

• Install in a central location outside each sleeping area of a home.
• Follow manufacturer’s instructions for placement and height.
• Choose a CO alarm that has the label of a recognized testing laboratory.
• Test CO alarms at least once a month and replace according to manufacturer’s instructions.
• If the CO alarm sounds, immediately move to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door. Make sure everyone inside the home is accounted for. Call for help from a fresh air location and stay there until emergency personnel arrive.

Additionally, residents are encouraged to practice a home escape route with your family at least twice a year. A plan should include identifying all possible exits and escape routes in your home and discussing it with all members of your household. A meeting place also should be designated a safe distance outside your home where everyone can gather in the event of an emergency. Other safety tips are on the Fire Department’s website at https://www.clarkcountynv.gov/government/departments/fire_department/fire_safety_tips/index.php.

Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023, with the setting of clocks one hour back.     

                                                                           

Clark County is a dynamic and innovative organization dedicated to providing top-quality service with integrity, respect and accountability.  With jurisdiction over the world-famous Las Vegas Strip and covering an area the size of New Jersey, Clark is the nation’s 11th-largest county and provides extensive regional services to 2.3 million citizens and 45.6 million visitors a year (2019). Included are the nation’s 8th-busiest airport, air quality compliance, social services and the state’s largest public hospital, University Medical Center. The County also provides municipal services that are traditionally provided by cities to 1 million residents in the unincorporated area. Those include fire protection, roads and other public works, parks and recreation, and planning and development.

Original source can be found here.