Change your clocks, change your battery

Summary

With the end of daylight saving, the NSW Rural Fire Service and Fire & Rescue NSW is reminding residents to change their smoke alarm battery.

Only a working smoke alarm can save lives.

With the end of daylight saving, as you change your clocks, you should also change your smoke alarm battery.

Taking a few minutes to ensure smoke alarms were working properly could buy valuable time for families during an emergency.

Every year, smoke alarms alert hundreds of NSW families to fires in their homes, allowing them a safe escape.

Smoke alarms can save lives but only if they are in proper working order. A smoke alarm with a flat battery is just as bad as no smoke alarm at all.

In 2011, Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) and the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) attended almost 5000 home fires which tragically killed 20 people and injured hundreds of others.

It is vital that you protect yourself and your family by making sure you have working smoke alarms. It only takes a few minutes for fire to engulf a home, destroying property, possessions and lives. It's crucial you test your smoke alarm monthly and change the batteries at least once a year. In the event of a fire, call Triple Zero (000) from a safe place and wait for firefighters to arrive.

It's also essential for people to install smoke alarms in caravans, campervans and other moveable dwellings where people sleep under new laws introduced on 25 February 2011.

You can also conduct a Home Fire Safety Audit.