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Spring Forward and Spring into
Action: test, inspect, and replace broken or expired smoke and CO
alarms
[March 07, 2025]
Springfield, Ill- The Office of the Illinois
State Fire Marshal (OSFM) reminds Illinoisans to test, inspect, and
replace broken or expired smoke/CO alarms in their homes with new
10-year sealed battery alarms while they change the clocks this
weekend as Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 AM Sunday, March 9.
"Early warnings from smoke alarms are crucial, as on average, a
person has less than three minutes to escape a home fire today,”
said Illinois State Fire Marshal James A. Rivera. “Taking just a few
minutes each month to test, inspect, and replace broken or expired
alarms is simple, but working smoke alarms save lives. It’s also
important to review and practice your fire escape plan, identify two
ways out of every room, and designate a meeting place outside the
home.”
The time change serves as a bi-annual reminder to test all smoke and
CO alarms in your home. If you find an alarm that is not working or
is expired, replace the alarm immediately with a new 10-year sealed
battery alarm. Review your fire-escape plan with your family and
hold a drill to practice your plan.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
reports almost three out of every five home fire deaths in the U.S.
resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or non-working
smoke alarms. More than one-third (38 percent) of home fire deaths
result from fires in which no smoke alarms are present. When working
smoke alarms are present in your home, the risk of dying in a home
fire is cut by 60 percent.
According to statistics from the Be Alarmed! Smoke Alarm
Installation Program, since 2018, 74% of pre-existing smoke alarms
in homes that received new 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms from
the Be Alarmed! Program were non-functional or were expired (14,034
of 19,036 pre-existing smoke alarms).
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“We are excited to report our
first direct save from our Be Alarmed! Smoke Alarm Installation
Program in Greenville on February 16,” said Philip Zaleski,
Executive Director of Camp I Am Me by the Illinois Fire Safety
Alliance. “This success highlights the hard work and dedication
of the 320 departments across 61 Illinois counties, which
continue to make a significant impact on fire safety. I
encourage other departments to join us in our efforts to help
save lives throughout the state.”
Thanks to the “Be Alarmed!” program, in 2024, over
2800 Illinois homes and 5,252 residents are now protected by new
smoke alarms and were educated about the importance of having a fire
safety plan. Over 40,000 smoke alarms worth nearly $1 million
dollars of life saving fire safety devices have been distributed to
Illinois fire departments since 2018 when the Be Alarmed! Smoke
Alarm Installation Program began!
"Be Alarmed!" is a fire safety education and smoke alarm
installation program administered cooperatively between Camp I Am Me
and the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM). “The “Be
Alarmed!” program is aimed at creating fire-safe communities.
For more information on the “Be Alarmed!” program visit:
https://www.ifsa.org/prevention-resources/smoke-alarm/
[Text received from JC Fultz]
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