By: Marta Rusek

Daylight Savings Time ends this Sunday, and you know that means – time to ‘Turn and Test’ your smoke alarms at home!

Home fires are unfortunately the most common household disaster in America, even during COVID-19. During the month of October alone, volunteers from the Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania responded to over 35 home fires in our five-county region, which impacted the lives of more than 140 people.

“The need to protect ourselves from home fires hasn’t stopped during COVID-19,” said Guy Triano, CEO of the Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania. “That’s why it’s critical to have working smoke alarms, which can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half. This weekend, take a few minutes to ‘turn and test’ to help keep you and your loved ones safe.”

New to the ‘Turn and Test’ game? No problem! After you turn back your clocks, just press the button on your smoke alarms, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Replace the batteries in your alarm(s) if needed — at least once a year, if your model requires it.

If you or a member of your family is deaf or hard-of-hearing, there are fire safety devices and even apps for your smartphone or tablet that can help alert you to a fire in your home.

Looking for more ways to make sure you and your family are safe in case of a fire? Do the following:

∙ Replace smoke alarms that have been in use for 10 years or longer. The sensor inside becomes less sensitive as the years go by.

∙ Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, especially inside or right outside of bedrooms and sleeping areas.

∙ Create a two-minute escape plan and practice it with everyone in your home (including your pets). Two minutes is the amount of time you may have to escape a burning home before it’s too late. Practice at least two ways to get out of every room and choose a meet-up point where everyone can gather outside of your home, at a safe distance.

Visit the Red Cross website to learn how to make an escape plan with your family and access additional resources. You can also download the FREE Red Cross Emergency app to your smartphone or tablet for safety tips on-the-go (just search for “American Red Cross” in the app store).

Image description: A graphic with the American Red Cross logo at the top and a headline that reads – “Don’t forget to #TurnAndTest!” Underneath, there’s an illustration of a hand changing the time on an alarm clock, with the words “Step 1: Turn your clocks back one hour.” Next to Step 1 is an illustration of a hand pressing the Test button on a smoke alarm, with the words “Step 2: Test your smoke alarms.”