Daylight saving time ends on Sunday, November 1 and the American Red Cross of Illinois encourages everyone to TEST their smoke alarms as they TURN their clocks back to make sure the devices are working.  

The Red Cross also offers some fire safety DO’S AND DON’TS to help keep everyone better prepared in case a fire starts in their home. 

        DO

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Replace smoke alarms that are 10 years old or older, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. 
• Test your smoke alarms once a month and replace the batteries at least once a year if your model requires it. 
• Put together a fire escape plan for your household. Make sure everyone knows two ways to escape from every room in your home and where to meet outside. Practice escaping from your home at least twice a year. 
• Make sure everyone knows how to call 9-1-1. Teach children what smoke alarms sound like and what to do if they hear one. 
• Have your chimney cleaned and checked once a year, and use a metal or glass fireplace screen to help keep embers contained.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       DON'T                                                              
• Leave fires or candles burning, or heating appliances plugged in, while you’re asleep, in another room or away from home. 
• Leave the kitchen when cooking, frying or grilling. Most kitchen fires start on stovetops — not in the oven. 
• Toss water on a grease fire. If you don’t already have one, consider keeping a fire extinguisher within easy reach. If you don’t have one and a fire starts in a pan, put a lid on it to suffocate the flames. 
• Put items that can catch fire near your stove, such as curtains, towel racks or potholders. If your microwave isn’t built in, make sure nothing obstructs the vents and keep counter clutter away. 

Put anything that gives off heat near anything that might catch fire, especially space heaters.                                                                                                                         “The end of daylight saving time is a good opportunity to test every smoke alarm in your home as you turn your clocks back,” said Kellie O’Connell, CEO for the Red Cross of Illinois. “Every second counts when there’s a home fire. The sooner an alarm alerts you to a fire, the sooner you can get to a safer place. When daylight saving time ends this weekend, test your smoke alarms and help prevent a tragedy in your home.”                                                                                                         

ONE MORE STEP    Download the free Red Cross Emergency app for instant access to weather alerts, emergency preparedness information and open Red Cross shelter locations. Choose whether you want to view content in English or Spanish using the easy-to-find language selector. The Emergency app is accessible for people with disabilities and is compatible with Apple Watch and Android wearable devices. Find Red Cross apps in smartphone app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or redcross.org/apps.                                                                                                                                 

About the American Red Cross: The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.                                                                                                            # # #