Too many of us know someone who has been impacted by a home fire and believe it can never happen to “me.” Yet, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) estimates that 28 million homes are at risk because they either don’t have smoke alarms or their smoke alarms do not work, mostly due to dead or missing batteries. A working smoke alarm can make the difference in whether you have the critical extra seconds to safely escape. Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) have worked for decades to change those numbers with the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery®program, and this fall they are continuing that work with firefighters across the country bringing the total number of batteries donated to 5 million!
The message is simple, and the habit can be lifesaving. For 26 years, the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program has been dedicated to sharing the important reminder to replace the batteries in your home’s smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when you change your clocks for daylight saving time. Together, Energizer and the IAFC are working to combat some alarming statistics:
- Thirty-eight percent of fatal fire injuries occur in homes without working smoke alarms.
- Twenty-four percent occur in homes in which at least one smoke alarm is present but fails to operate, frequently due to dead or missing batteries.
“All too often firefighters see firsthand the devastating effects on families whose homes don’t have working smoke detectors,” said Chief William Metcalf, President and Chairman of the Board of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. “Thanks toEnergizer, more than 5 million batteries have been donated in communities across the country through this program. This not only helps provide families with critical early warning time to escape a home fire, but it also helps protect our firefighters by reducing the likelihood they’ll have to enter a burning building to rescue someone still in the home.”
Families are encouraged to use the extra hour “gained” from the end of daylight saving time to review their home fire safety plans and remind their friends, family and neighbors of the life-saving habit of changing and testing smoke alarm batteries.
“Twenty-six years ago, we realized the crucial role that a working battery in a smoke alarm plays in helping to give families the critical extra time to escape a home fire. We felt a responsibility to do our part in helping to keep families safe,” said Alan Hoskins, President & CEO with Energizer. “Today, it’s inspiring to look back on the millions of batteries donated and the lives that Energizer has helped to save as a result of the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program – as we like to say,that’s positivenergy!”
To help give more families those critical seconds, Energizer is donating 250,000 batteries this fall to fire departments across the country to distribute to families in their communities. Together, they will host Home Safety Days and neighborhood canvasses spanning throughout National Fire Prevention Month in October until the end of daylight saving time on Sunday, Nov. 3.
Energizer Bunny Facebook Family Safety Kit Giveaway
From now through November 3, visit the Energizer Bunny® Facebook page and click on the Fire Safety Info Tab. Here you will have the chance to enter a sweepstakes to win a Family Safety Kit. Energizer will be giving away one Family Safety Kit per day. Contained in the kit, valued at more than $167 is:
- One reusable grocery tote
- Two Kidde Battery-Operated Combination Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Alarms
- One Kidde fire extinguisher
- One 4-pack of Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA batteries
- One 2-pack of Energizer® MAX® 9 volt batteries
- One 4-pack of Energizer® MAX® AA batteries
- Two Energizer Weatheready® LED Safety Light flashlights
- One Energizer Bunny® Plush Bunny
Energizer Family Safety Kit Giveaway for The Rebel Chick Readers
To help raise awareness, Energizer has agreed to sponsor a giveaway for a separate Energizer Family Safety Prize Pack for one of my lucky readers!
One reader will win a Family Safety Kit complete with a reusable grocery tote valued at $60 containing:
- One 16-pack Energizer® MAX® AA Batteries years
- One 1-pack of Energizer® MAX® 9 volt batteries
- One Energizer® Weatheready® LED Safety Light flashlight – Waterproof flashlight powered by AA, AAA or C cell batteries
- One Kidde Battery-Operated Combination Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Alarm