With a winter that continues to find ways of reminding us how long it has been since our area has felt the happiness of a collection of warm days, it is hoped that spring may come sometime soon. There is one reality of a seasonal change is just around the corner.  One seasonal responsibility borne by the Newtown Square Fire Company is a safety reminder that is associated with the March 14, 2010 change to Daylight Savings Time.

 

As the clocks are advanced one hour at the 2 a.m. official early morning time, the local firefighters hope that everyone not only changed their clock before going to bed, they hope fresh batteries were placed in every Smoke Detector in the residence.

 

Firefighters are facing another serious concern.  While these volunteers strive to have Smoke Detectors properly cleaned, maintained, and “fed with fresh battery power,” there is another challenge these unpaid professionals face.  

 

Smoke Detectors do not have an indefinite lifetime.  The concern faced by firefighters is the threat the public will ignore the 10-year lifespan cited by safety experts.  These men and women do act properly and promptly when it comes time to properly discard and replace these trusted safety watchdogs.

 

How can someone tell if his or her Smoke Detector is too old to be safe trusted?  When cleaning and placing fresh batteries inside the family’s Smoke Detectors, look for a manufacture date.   The special date has been used for some years.  

 

Don’t live on borrowed time.  Replace all Smoke Detectors that are more ten years old. Newer models often include a ten-year battery.  In the future, this concept will in documenting a life span.  Never trust your life or the lives of your family to old, out-of-date safety protection from an aged and tired Smoke Detector.