November 2, 2015

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Offers Free Safety Checks

Daylight savings time ended this weekend and the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service is urging all residents to test their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors when they change their clocks this weekend.

A new law aimed at reducing home fire deaths went into effect in Maryland on 7/1/2013 and may affect you! The law requires the replacement of any battery-only operated smoke alarms with units powered by 10-year, seal-in, long-life batteries by January 1, 2018. Smoke alarm technology has advanced over the years and the recent legislative update to Maryland’s Smoke Alarm Law is part of a nationwide trend to ensure future smoke alarm replacements possess this new technology.

Did you know? ALL smoke alarms, hard-wired and battery-powered, have expiration dates and need to be replaced every 10 years. If your smoke alarm has been on the job since 2005 --- it's time to replace it!

Working smoke alarms more than DOUBLE your chances of surviving a fire. To request a free home visit go to Smoke Alarm Installation Program

REMEMBER: It is never acceptable to remove required hard-wired smoke alarms and replace them with any type of battery-only smoke alarm.