Keeping emergency gear, plans up-to-date


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SALT LAKE CITY — Fall and spring may be the time to reset clocks, but officials say it's also the time to check your emergency gear, especially smoke detector batteries.

Local agencies are reminding people to change their clocks and the batteries in all their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for Daylight Savings Time.

"While you are up there changing the batteries, take a little time to vacuum it out so you get all the bugs and spider webs out of it, making sure it's as functional as it can be," said Chief Jim Rampton, with the South Davis Metro Fire department.

Revisiting them every six months keeps them current and your family safe. Firefighters say the chances of escaping a burning house more than double if a person has working smoke alarms.

If your home is not equipped with a functioning smoke alarm in each room, now is the time to invest. Detectors should be replaced every seven to 10 years, per manufacturers instruction.

"It does lose its sensitivity, it gets dust, it gets all the particulates from the air that are up there," said Russ Groves, Deputy Fire Marshal at the Murray Fire Department.

Rampton said it is also a good time of year to go over, update or make an emergency evacuation plan with your family. Make sure each person knows their responsibilities. Rampton suggests that as kids get older and change bedrooms, evacuation plans be updated.

Checking your family's 72-hour kits every six months is also a good idea. Breaking it down into six-month intervals keeps everything fresh and up-to-date, especially if you have growing children.

Russ Groves, Deputy Fire Marshal at the Murray Fire Department

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