MADISON (WKOW) -- This weekend we will "spring ahead" for Daylight Savings Time, and local officials are reminding everyone to take care of routine home safety maintenance.
The Rock County Sheriff's Office is asking everyone to check the following when setting the clocks ahead on Sunday.
- Smoke Detectors: Check and replace batteries if needed and make sure the devices around your house are working properly. The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission estimates that about 16 million homes in the country have smoke alarms that do not work. In most cases, the batteries are dead or missing. This is a great time to put fresh batteries in your smoke detector. You should also replace the entire smoke alarm unit every 8 to 10 years. Nearly 2,700 people die and more than 15,000 are injured each year because of fires that started in their homes.
- Carbon Monoxide Detectors: Make sure you have CO Detectors and they are working. According to the Centers for Disease Control, carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in the United States with more than 200 killed each year from overexposure to the gas.
- Emergency Preparedness Kits and First Aid Kits: Everyone should have a basic emergency kit in their home with supplies such as food and water to last you and your family for at least three days. Other items like a battery powered or crank radio, flashlights, first aid kit should also be included. Daylight Savings Time is a perfect time to get a kit and if you already have a kit, check it to make sure food and other items are not near or past their expiration dates.
- Emergency NOAA Weather Radio: Spring brings the threat of tornadoes. Make sure you have an emergency weather radio. It's like having a tornado siren in your home. When it goes off, go to a safe place.
For more tips on how to prepare you and your family, click here. For further information about emergency preparedness, please contact the Rock County Sheriff's Office, Division of Emergency Management at 608-758-8440.
