Remember that Daylight Savings Time is starting this weekend, and as always, the city is reminding us to change smoke detector batteries as it begins.
We’ll be setting our clocks forward one hour on Sunday, March 9. The biannual change begins at 2 a.m. local time and lasts until Nov. 2, when clocks will fall back an hour.
The fire department always reminds residents to change the batteries in their smoke detectors when they change their clocks. According to the National Fire Protection Association, a working smoke detector increases a person’s chances of a safe escape from a fire by more than 50 percent.
Residents who don’t own a smoke detector and live in a single family residence may obtain one for free by visiting their local fire station and filling out a form. Free smoke detectors are not for owners of multiple rental properties or apartment complexes. Rental property owners are specified by code to provide working smoke alarms for their renters.
The Fire Department recommends residents to install at least one smoke detector inside every sleeping area and on every level of a home. Smoke detectors should be tested on a monthly basis, and their batteries should be changed twice a year.
For more information, please call the KCFD Fire Prevention Division at 816-784-9100.
Who’s talking