Test Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms: North Reading FD

NORTH READING, MA — The North Reading Fire Department is reminding residents to test their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and check the batteries while they turn their clocks forward for Daylight Savings on Sunday.

“It’s important to test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms at least once a month throughout the year to ensure their working properly,” Chief Stats said. “These devices save lives by alerting you to an emergency so you and your loved ones are able to evacuate quickly and safely.”

Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday and clocks move ahead one hour at that time.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, in more than 50 percent of home fires that were reported to fire departments in the U.S. between 2014-2018, residents were alerted to the danger by a working smoke alarm. Almost 60 percent of home fire deaths occurred in homes without properly-functioning smoke alarms or no smoke alarms at all during the same time period.

Fire departments nationwide responded to almost 80,000 carbon monoxide incidents in 2016, and almost 400 people died of unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning in 2017, according to NFPA data.