President of the International Association of Fire Chiefs

Steven P. Westermann International Association of Fire Chiefs Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of a Life Saving Reminder: “Change Your Clock Change Your Battery” Twenty years ago, the nations fire fighters and the people from Energizer Batteries came up with an idea, “Change Your Clock Change Your Battery” that has likely has saved thousands of homes and perhaps as many lives. Its a sad fact that approximately 80 percent of fatal home fire victims are children killed in homes without working smoke alarms. Since hardly anyone neglects to change their clocks, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and Energizer decided to urge Americans through the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program to use the “extra hour” to change their smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detectors batteries. This year, the date is Sunday, November 4th. The Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with more than 5,900 fire departments across the country participating in the program. As a result, many Americans have gotten into the habit of changing their batteries at the same time they change their clocks. “We have no way of knowing exactly how many lives and homes have been saved as a result,” said Chief Steven P. Westermann, president of the IAFC. “What we do know is that each year more Americans are replacing their batteries before they wear out and that helps make each alarm safer.” Having a working smoke alarm can cut the odds of dying in a home fire nearly in half by adopting this simple habit. Most American homes 96 percent in fact have smoke alarms, however, more than a quarter of those homes have at least one nonworking smoke alarm, mostly due to worn out or missing batteries. The IAFC estimates more than 26 million homes are at risk. Chief Westermann is president of the International Associations of Fire Chiefs. He has served as department chief to the Central Jackson County Fire Protection District in Blue Springs, MO and has been in fire service since 1972. He has been a member of the IAFC since 1987. He has also chaired the National Policy Centers Task Force and currently serves on the Labor Management Initiative committee. Westermann has a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, is an Executive Fire Officer graduate. Also, he is a graduate of the Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard University. https://videos.whiteblox.com/gnb/secure/player.aspx?sid=35105