Change Your Clock Change Your Battery November 1, 2009. International Association of Fire Chiefs Celebrates 22 Years of a Life Saving Reminder: Change Your Clock Change Your Battery
International Association of Fire Chief’s Vice President Fire Chief Jack Parow from Chelmsford Fire & Rescue (Massachusetts)
Twenty-two years ago, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and Energizer came up with an idea that has likely saved thousands of homes and perhaps as many lives. On average, 40 percent of home fire deaths result from fires in homes without working smoke alarms. In fact, a home fire death occurs somewhere in the nation approximately every three hours.
Because hardly anyone neglects to change their clocks during Daylight-Savings Time, the International Association of Fire Chiefs 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 day to set your clocks back and change batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors is November 1st.
The Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program has more than 6,200 fire departments nationwide participating in the program. And as a result, many Americans have gotten into the habit of changing their batteries at the same time they change their clocks. Each year we urge Americans to adopt this life-saving habit in hopes of saving just one life, said Chief Jeff Johnson, president of the IAFC. While many Americans can readily recite the programs tag line, we know it is important to continually push this message out to reach each new generation and encourage families to take an active part in their own safety.
Having a working smoke alarm can provide those crucial extra seconds a family needs to escape a fire. All too often, families have a smoke alarm but do not have working batteries in it. In fact, 96 percent of American homes have smoke alarms; however, 19 percent of those homes do not have a working smoke alarm due to worn out or missing batteries.
Chief Jeff Johnson, EFO, CFO, MIFireE, fire chief and chief executive officer of Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue in Oregon , is president of the International Associations of Fire Chiefs, 2009-2010. Chief Johnson is a past president of the Western Division of the IAFC, and he is a member of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association; the IAFCs EMS Section, Fire & Life Safety Section and Volunteer Combination Officers Section; and the Institution of Fire EngineersUS Branch. Hes a graduate of the National Fire Academy s Executive Fire Officer (EFO) Program and achieved the Center for Public Safety Excellence Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Designation.
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