Spring Forward, Fall Behind: Safety Notes from the Scarsdale Fire Department

As the time change approaches on Sunday, November 3, the Scarsdale Fire Department wants to remind residents to make another change that could save their lives: Changing the batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

Communities nationwide witness tragic home fire deaths each year. An average of 75 percent of child fire fatalities occur in homes without working smoke detectors. Non-working smoke detectors rob residents of the protective benefits home fire safety devices were designed to provide. The most commonly cited cause of non-working smoke detectors is worn or missing batteries.

Changing smoke detector batteries at least once a year is one of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce these tragic deaths and injuries. In fact, working smoke detectors nearly cut in half the risk of dying in a home fire. Additionally, the International Association of Fire Chiefs recommends replacing your smoke detectors every 10 years.

To save lives and prevent needless injuries in Scarsdale, the Scarsdale Fire Department has joined forces with Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs for the 26th year of the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® campaign. The program urges all Americans to adopt a simple, lifesaving habit: changing smoke detector and carbon monoxide batteries when changing clocks back to standard time each fall, this year on November 3.

"The peak time for home fire fatalities is between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most families are sleeping," says Fire Chief Thomas Cain. "Smoke detector maintenance is a simple, effective way to reduce home fire deaths. Children and senior citizens are most at risk, and a working smoke detector can give them the extra seconds they need to get out safely."

In addition, Chief Cain recommends residents use the "extra" hour they save from the time change to test smoke detectors by pushing the test button, planning two ways out of their home, and practicing escape routes with the entire family. Families should also prepare a fire safety kit that includes working flashlights and fresh batteries.

Tragically, fire can kill selectively. Those most at risk include:

• Children – Approximately 500 children under the age of 14 die each year in home fires.
• Seniors – Adults 75 and older are 2.8 times more likely to die in a home fire.
• Low-Income Households – Many low-income families are unable to afford batteries for their smoke detectors. These same households often rely on poorly installed, maintained or misused portable or area heating equipment – a main cause of fatal home fires.

Fire Department Installing Fire Hydrant Markers for Winter

On November 2, 2013 the Scarsdale Fire Department will begin installing red markers on every fire hydrant in the Village, to assist the Department in locating the hydrants during heavy winter snow accumulations. Installation of these highly-visible three-foot tall metal rods will be performed by career and volunteer firefighters working together to ensure that each of the nearly one thousand fire hydrants in the Village is properly marked. The flag markers will be removed by the Water Department in the spring during their annual hydrant maintenance program, to be re-installed again prior to the next winter.

These markers are being installed to enhance public safety. Fire hydrants serve an extremely critical role in the rapid and successful extinguishment of fire, and accumulated, drifting or plowed snow often results in difficulty locating hydrants, especially at night and/or during inclement weather. Precious time can be lost searching for a hydrant buried by snow, and the intent of these tall flag markers is to assist firefighters in locating the hydrant quickly.

Residents with fire hydrants on or near their property can assist the Fire Department in this regard by shoveling snow away from the hydrant. Clearing the snow away from your fire hydrant is a quick and easy way to assist the Fire Department toward helping you and your neighbors.

Please contact the Scarsdale Fire Department at 722-1215 if you have any questions.