We’re springing forward tomorrow, Sunday March 13th, and with it’s time to also change the batteries in your smoke alarms.
Daylight savings time begins on Sunday March 13, 2011 and the Orillia Fire Department is recommending residents install new batteries in their smoke alarms when they change their clocks this weekend.
Orillia Fire Chef Ralph Dominelli says that if your smoke alarm is more than 10 years old from the date of manufacture, it should be replaced.
Chef Dominelli says he can’t stress enough that working smoke alarms do save lives.
But it’s not just a friendly reminder, its actually the law to have working smoke alarms on every storey of the home and outside all sleeping areas.
Chef Dominelli says, in fact, tampering with, or removing the batteries from your smoke alarms is also against the law.
Failure to comply with the Fire Code smoke alarm requirements can result in a ticket for $235 or a fine of up to $50,000.
Expired batteries and smoke alarms can be returned to Orillias Municipal Hazardous Waste Depot, located at the Kitchener St. landfill site, or you can return them to the store of purchase.
