Fire Marshal: Time To Check Smoke Alarm Batteries

ST. PAUL (AP) --The state fire marshal is reminding Minnesotans that the end of daylight saving time is a good time to check smoke alarm batteries.

Fire Marshal Jerry Rosendahl says checking the smoke alarm battery takes just a moment, and it could save lives.

The "Change Your Clocks, Change Your Batteries" campaign was created 23 years ago.

The fire marshal says studies show working alarms increase chances of survival by 50 percent. But about one-third of American homes with smoke alarms are not protected because batteries are old or have been removed.

There were 35 residential fire deaths in Minnesota in 2009; 10 of those were in homes where alarms were missing or weren't working. In eight cases, it was not possible to determine whether working alarms were present.

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