Talk about A LOT going on this weekend! Saturday, get ready for three big occurrences: the second of two full moons in October (31st) which makes it a "blue moon" (meaning it doesn't happen very often), Halloween, AND as if that's not enough, Daylight Savings Time comes to an end. The good news is, you'll get an extra hour of sleep Saturday night with that time change where you set your clocks back one hour.

Here's a good rule of thumb that we follow in our house when the time changes: we change the batteries on our smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. The Firemen's Association of the State of New York recommends that twice a year, when we change the clocks (Fall, Spring), we all change the batteries and inspect all smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they are working properly.

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In addition, considering that these devices can be the difference between life and death, the FASNY also says smoke and carbon monoxide alarms should be tested once a month, those with removable batteries should have the batteries checked every six months and replaced once a year.  Don't forget to remove dust from these devices as well, and never paint them so they can perform their important job properly. If possible, install sealed-in smoke alarms with non-removable batteries.

FASNY reports that so far in 2019, 92 civilians in the state have died in fires and that's not counting the high risk heating season ahead of us.  According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), two-thirds of all fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms or non-working smoke alarms. Though many homeowners and businesses do in fact have smoke alarms, these units are often not functioning due to a lack of proper maintenance.

To get more information on maintaining smoke detectors, click here.

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