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The end
of daylight saving this weekend is the perfect time to check
your smoke alarms.
Change Your
Clock, Check Your Smoke Alarm is a campaign run by the New
Zealand Fire Service to encourage people to check and
replace smoke alarm batteries when putting their clocks back
an hour.
Mt
Wellington senior firefighter Campbell Cairns says smoke
alarms act as an early warning device to give people crucial
minutes to get out of a burning house.
"Fires
start quietly and grow quickly. When you’re asleep you can’t
smell smoke and can’t detect a fire. Without a detection
device, a fire could start anywhere in your home without you
knowing."
He says a
smoke alarm sounding could be the first warning there is a
fire and could be the difference between life and death.
"So while
smoke alarms can’t put out the fire, they can save lives.
However, a smoke alarm can only warn you of fire if the
battery is working."
Some
batteries need replacing every year.
Mr Cairns
says people should get into a habit of checking and changing
alarms on a set day, such as daylight savings.
"If you
still don’t have a smoke alarm, make this the day to install
some in your home – in every sleeping area, living area,
hall and on every level of your home," he says.
Alarms can
be cleaned by vacuuming them gently.
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