Change smoke alarm batteries when you change your clocks - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Change smoke alarm batteries when you change your clocks

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It has already been an extremely deadly year for house in Georgia, and firefighters urge you to check your smoke alarms when you change your clocks this weekend.

Safety Fire Commissioner Ralph Hudgens says 20 home fires have killed 28 Georgians so far in 2013.

He and firefighters urge you to replace the batteries in your smoke alarms every six months.

The daylight savings time switch is good time to remind you.

They also want you to clean your smoke alarm when you change the battery.

"Absolutely, these can get dust buildup inside of them, said Albany Fire Department Inspector Dan Harden .  "So you want to take a vacuum cleaner, blow it out with the vacuum to clean it out so that it will read like it should if you should have a fire."

There was no evidence of a working smoke alarm in 16 of those 20 deadly fires.

Firefighters say a working smoke alarm doubles your chance of surviving a fire in your home.

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