Red Cross of Georgia Says ‘Turn and Test’ as Daylight Saving Time Ends

Rome, GA, November 2, 2018 — Daylight saving time ends this Sunday, and the American Red Cross
urges everyone to test their smoke alarms when turning back their clocks.
As the fall season ushers in cold weather, it also increases the risk of deadly home fires. That’s because
the heating equipment is the second most common cause of fatalities from home fires—which, on average,
take seven lives every day in the U.S., according to the National Fire Protection Association. But working
smoke alarms can double a person’s odds of survival.
“The Red Cross wants everyone to stay safe this winter,” said American Red Cross Executive Director,
Larry Brooks. “This weekend, please take time to ‘turn and test’ to protect you and your family against the
season’s life-threatening risk of home fires.”
Every eight minutes, the Red Cross responds to a disaster—most often, home fires. Last year alone in
Georgia, the Red Cross responded to more than 2900 home fire emergencies – more than any other Red
Cross region, nationwide.
This weekend, Georgia’s Red Cross asks everyone to take these simple steps:
• Check smoke alarm batteries. When turning the clocks back, take a few minutes to replace the
smoke alarm batteries if needed and push the test button to make sure the alarms are working.
It’s also a great time to check carbon monoxide detectors.
• Install smoke alarms. If you don’t have working smoke alarms, install them. At a minimum, put one
on every level of the home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Check local building
codes for additional requirements.
• Practice an escape plan. Make sure everyone in the household knows two ways to get out of
every room and how to get out of the home in less than two minutes.
HOME FIRE CAMPAIGN SAVES LIVES
Through the national Home Fire Campaign, the American Red Cross works with community partners to
reduce deaths and injuries from home fires, which take more lives each year than all other natural
disasters combined in the U.S. In high-risk neighborhoods here in Georgia and across the country, Red
Cross volunteers and partners go door-to-door year-round to install free smoke alarms and help residents
create home fire escape plans.
Since the campaign began in 2014, working alongside partners, the Red Cross of Georgia has installed
more than 40,000 free smoke alarms and these efforts have resulted in 10 lives saved.