Westmont, Illinois - Date Issued: November 4, 2022
The Westmont Fire Department reminds residents that when you change your clock for daylight savings time on Sunday, November 6, then it is also time to check your smoke alarms.
NEW SMOKE DETECTOR LAW GOES INTO EFFECT JANUARY 1
The Westmont Fire Department also wants everyone to know that a new state law regarding smoke detectors will go into effect on January 1, 2023. The new law requires purchases of any new smoke alarms to have a non-removable, 10-year sealed battery. These new smoke alarms and sealed batteries will last for 10 years, or the lifetime of the smoke alarm, thus eliminating the need to change batteries.
However, homes built after 1988 that already have hardwired smoke alarms and those with wireless interconnected alarms that use radio frequency or Wi-Fi are exempt from the requirement.
Illinois law requires every household to have smoke alarms within 15 feet of every bedroom and at least one alarm on each floor of the home.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reported that in 2021 nearly three out of every five home fire deaths occurred in homes with no alarms or alarms that failed to go off. The death rate in home structure fires was 55% lower in homes with working alarms. There were also 97 residential fire deaths in Illinois in 2021, and nearly 70% of those deaths occurred in homes without a working smoke alarm.
SMOKE ALARM INSTALLATION
The NFPA provides the following tips for installation and maintenance of smoke alarms:
- Install alarms close to each sleeping area of the house and on every level of the house. Ensure that the alarms are interconnected so when one sounds, they all do
- Change alarm batteries at least twice a year. Daylight Savings Time is a reminder to “Change your Clock, Change your Batteries”
- Replace all smoke alarms when they are ten years old and install new 10-year self-contained battery alarms
- Test alarms at least once a month
- Closed doors may slow the spread of smoke
Smoke alarms should be a part of a larger home escape plan for emergencies. Visit the NFPA website for more information on home escape planning
The Westmont Fire Department offers free smoke detectors for Wesmont residents of single family homes or townhomes who need them. For more information, please contact LaTrecia Moore at lmoore2@westmont.il.gov or 630-981-6424.
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