Daylight saving time ends Sunday, Nov. 1. The American Red Cross, Texas Gulf Coast Region, wants you to spend part of that extra hour testing every smoke alarm in the house.
“The end of daylight saving time is a good opportunity to test every smoke alarm in your home as you turn your clocks back,” said Edward Blanchard, regional disaster officer for the Texas Gulf Coast Region. “Every second counts when there’s a home fire. The sooner an alarm alerts you to a fire, the sooner you can get to a safer place.”
Alarms belong on every level of the house, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Test them once a month, change the batteries once a year if the model needs it, and replace any alarm that’s 10 years old or older. Teach children what the alarm sounds like and what to do when they hear it.
Three things worth adding to the list
The Red Cross fire prevention release that ran here Oct. 7 covered 20 steps — escape plans, the stove, space heaters. This weekend’s release adds three that weren’t on it.
Don’t throw water on a grease fire. If a pan catches, put a lid on it and smother the flames. Keep a fire extinguisher within easy reach if you don’t already have one.
Have the chimney cleaned and checked once a year, and use a metal or glass screen to keep embers in the fireplace.
If your microwave isn’t built in, keep the vents clear and the counter around it uncluttered.
One more step
The Red Cross Emergency app is free and carries weather alerts, preparedness information and open shelter locations. It has an English and Spanish selector, works with Apple Watch and Android wearables, and is built to be accessible for people with disabilities. Search for the American Red Cross in your phone’s app store, or go to redcross.org/apps.
More fire safety information is at redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org.
