WASHINGTON- Since 1992, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has reminded consumers to check
smoke alarms and change batteries when they change their clocks, but in that time, many alarms have lost their effectiveness. This year, CPSC wants to remind consumers to replace smoke alarms every ten years and replace carbon monoxide (CO) alarms every five years.
In a national telephone survey of households conducted by the CPSC, 97 percent of homes had at least one smoke alarm. That’s good news, but
without fresh batteries, alarms will not work when needed. And the sensors in alarms will degrade and lose effectiveness over time because of
environmental contamination and age.
According to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports, there were more than 1.6 million fires reported in the United States in 2005.
These fires caused about 3,700 civilian deaths and 18,000 injuries. Additionally, from 2002-2004, CPSC estimated a yearly average of 166 deaths
from unintentional, non-fire related CO exposure.
1 – Make sure your home is protected with both smoke and CO alarms. Combination smoke/CO alarms are available in the marketplace.
2 – Test alarms monthly to make sure they are working.
3 – Once a year, change batteries when you change your clocks.
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
