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Firefighters urge residents to check smoke alarms

1 min read

The Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District (FMBFCD) would like to remind residents to check their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when they change their clocks this weekend.

Daylight savings time begins Sunday, March 8 and clocks should be advanced one hour after 2 p.m. Saturday.

Replacing batteries twice a year in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors is one of the easiest and most effective methods to reduce the risk of death from poisoning or fire.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) having a working smoke alarm coupled with a fire escape plan doubles the chance of survival in a home fire.

Without a properly functioning alarm to act as an early warning device, fire and poisonous gases can spread unnoticed throughout a household, blocking escape routes and filling rooms with deadly smoke and toxic gases.