Remember to Change Your Smoke Alarm Batteries
As Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, we all have a very important chore: changing the batteries in our smoke alarms and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors. The good news is we have an extra hour in the day to get that chore done.
Smoke alarms provide necessary warning for us to act in a fire. Each year, more than 2,200 people die in unintentional home fires in the United States. The greater tragedy is nearly two-thirds of these deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms or ones which do not work.
Here are a few additional suggestions for Boston and Massachusetts residents:
- You should have working smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside and outside sleeping areas.
- Purchase fire extinguishers for your kitchen, basement, work areas, and garage. Check them every few months to remind yourself of where they are, and make sure they are properly charged.
- Replace smoke alarms every 10 years and carbon monoxide detectors every five years.
- Talk to your family, roommates and landlord about your fire evacuation plan.
- Walk through your home and apartment and practice your fire evacuation plan. In an emergency, you and others may have to pass through unfamiliar areas.
- If you are a Boston college student renting an apartment, make sure you and your roommates are following house rules for cooking and that no one is smoking in the living area.
- Report any potential fire hazards to landlords promptly, including blocked access ways and electrical irregularities.
About Breakstone, White & Gluck
The Boston premises liability lawyers at Breakstone, White & Gluck have over 100 years combined experience representing clients injured by acts of negligence. We handle cases throughout Massachusetts, including in Boston, Allston, Brighton, Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington and Quincy.
If you have been injured, learn your rights. For a free legal consultation, contact us at 800-379-1244 or 617-723-7676 or use our contact form.