Miami Lakes Public Safety Committee is teaming up with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Station 64 to encourage everyone who didn’t change the batteries in their smoke detectors when they “fell back” to Daylight Savings Time last Sunday to do so now.
Residents are urged to make a habit of changing the batteries in smoke detectors at least twice a year - at the beginning and end of Daylight Savings Time. If smoke alarms are more than 10 years old, it is recommended that the entire unit be replaced.
For the greatness protection, install a smoke detector on every level of the home and inside each sleeping area. Also, develop an escape plan with two ways out and make sure every family member knows what to do and where to meet outside in the fire alarm sounds. Take time to practice both a primary and secondary escape plan, so that if a real emergency occurred, the entire family would know what to do.
M-D Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Abel Fernandez offered additional tips:
• Test smoke alarms at least once a month to ensure that they are working properly.
• Vacuum the dust from inside the detector at least once every year.
• Never “borrow” a smoke detector’s battery for another use.
For more information about smoke alarms and fire safety tips, visit www.miamidade.gov/fire/safety-fire-smoke-alarms.asp.