Daylight Saving Time ends Nov. 4 | News

Don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour as Daylight Saving Time ends this Sunday, November 4.

As fall comes to an end, the Columbia Fire Department would like to remind citizens that as they set their clocks an hour back, they should also test their smoke alarms and change its batteries.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, 90 percent of American homes are equipped with smoke alarms, but more than 50 percent are not in working condition.  Working smoke alarms can decrease your risk of dying in a fire by 50 percent.

The National Fire Protection Association says smoke alarms should be replaced after ten years.

Smoke Alarm Placement

Smoke alarms should be replaced after ten years.  Smoke alarm should be place on each level of the home, one outside of each sleeping area, and one in each bedroom.  Smoke alarms should be mounted on the ceiling or on the wall 6 to 12 inches from the ceiling. Along with the installation of smoke alarms, a family should sit down and discuss a fire escape plan and practice exit drills in the home.  All smoke alarms should be tested monthly.

Fire Escape Plan

Identify two ways out of every room and practice the drill with the entire family. Be sure all family members understand the lifesaving practice of crawling below the dangerously thick smoke and intense heat of a fire. Teach children to, “never hide, go outside.” Once outside the family should gather at a designated meeting place and then call 911.

The Columbia Fire Department encourages City of Columbia and Richland County citizens who can’t afford to purchase smoke alarms or those not capable of installing them to contact the Columbia Fire Department’s Fire Education Office at 803-545-3717.