CPSC Safety Alert: Smoke and CO Alarms Need Fresh Batteries

News provided by

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Mar 13, 2010, 01:39 ET

Replace Alarm Batteries This Sunday for Daylight Saving Time

WASHINGTON, March 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is recommending consumers replace their smoke alarm and carbon monoxide (CO) alarm batteries this Sunday as clocks are turned ahead for Daylight Saving Time.

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"Smoke and CO alarms need fresh batteries every year in order to do the job of protecting your family," said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. "Working smoke and CO alarms can save your life by alerting you to a fire or poisonous carbon monoxide in your home and give you valuable escape time."

An estimated annual average of 384,100 fires, 2,590 deaths, 12,740 injuries and $5.94 billion in property losses associated with residential fires was reported by fire departments from 2004 through 2006.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, poisonous gas that consumers cannot see or smell. On average, there were an estimated 181 unintentional non-fire CO poisoning deaths annually associated with consumer products from 2004 through 2006.

CPSC recommends consumers replace the batteries in their smoke and CO alarms every year and test the alarms monthly. Smoke alarms should be on every level of the home, outside sleeping areas and inside each bedroom. CO alarms should be installed on each level of the home and outside sleeping areas. CO alarms should not be installed in attics or basements unless they include a sleeping area. Combination smoke and CO alarms are available to consumers.

CPSC recommends consumers follow these safety tips to prevent fires and CO poisonings from occurring in the home:

FIRES

Never leave cooking equipment unattended.

Use caution with candles, lighters, matches, and smoking materials near upholstered furniture, mattresses, and bedding. Keep matches and lighters out of reach of young children.

Have a fire escape plan and practice it so family members know what to do and where to meet if there's a fire in the home. Children and the elderly may sleep through or not react to the sound of a smoke alarm, so parents and caregivers should adjust their fire escape plan to help them escape the house in the event of a fire.

CO POISONING

Have a professional inspect home heating, cooling and water heating appliances annually. Improperly operating appliances can product fatal CO concentrations in the home.
Never ignore an alarming CO alarm. It is warning you of a potentially deadly hazard. If the alarm signal sounds do not try to find the source of the CO. Immediately move outside to fresh air. Call your emergency services, fire department, or 911.
Never use a portable generator indoors – including garages, basements, crawlspaces, and sheds. Opening doors and windows or using fans will not prevent CO buildup in the home.
During use, keep portable generators outdoors and far away from open doors, windows and vents, which can allow toxic levels of CO to build up indoors.
If you start to feel sick, dizzy or weak while using a generator, get to fresh air right away. The CO from generators can readily lead to full incapacitation and death.
Never use charcoal indoors. Burning charcoal in an enclosed space can produce lethal levels of carbon monoxide.

For more information, visit www.FireSafety.gov, for fire safety information from CPSC and other federal agencies.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC email subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772

CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission