Written by Kara Morris
HealthDay reporter
Thursday, November 3, 2022 (HealthDay News) — When you reset your clocks on Sunday, do some simple home safety checks that could save your life.
Check smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they are working. This is also a good time to replace their batteries.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends replacing batteries once a year unless devices have sealed 10-year batteries. The smoke alarm itself must be replaced every 10 years.
The CPSC recommends installing smoke alarms on every level of the home, inside every bedroom, and outside of sleeping areas. Carbon monoxide alarms should also be installed at every level of the home, outside of sleeping areas.
The committee emphasized that smoke and carbon dioxide alarms are always important, but more important during this season than burning fuel for heating and spending more time at home.
Carbon monoxide poisoning can come from home heating systems, portable generators, and other carbon dioxide-producing appliances. Carbon dioxide is invisible and odorless, and carbon monoxide poisoning kills more than 400 Americans annually. Most of these deaths occur between November and February.
There were an estimated 347,000 residential fires across the United States in 2019, according to the CPSC. Those fires killed 2,490 people, injured 11,760, and injured $7.38 billion in property.
The CPSC recommends developing a fire escape plan that includes two exit routes from each room and a clear path out from each exit. Once you run away, don’t go home.
The CPSC suggests keeping bedroom doors closed to slow the spread of a potential fire.
Between 1980 and 2019, there was a 67% decrease in residential fires per household; A 66% decrease in fire deaths per household, and a 60% decrease in fire injuries per household, according to the CPSC.
more information
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers more about carbon monoxide poisoning.
Source: US Consumer Product Safety Commission, press release, November 1, 2022
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