On March 13, 2022 we “spring forward” here in Lexington, where we observe Daylight Saving Time.
Fire safety officials recommend that the Spring and Fall time change is an excellent reminder to check or change the batteries in your smoke alarms/ carbon monoxide detectors.
According to the U.S. Fire Safety Administration, “Older adults have an increased risk of dying in a fire.” Those “ages 85 and older were 3.8 times more likely to die in a fire than the total population.”
AARP reports, “Poor eyesight, hearing loss, arthritis, dementia and the side effects of medication are among the factors that can make it more difficult for a person to react to a fire, officials say. ‘We have about two minutes to escape our home after our smoke alarms sound. We need to consider how these physical changes may affect our ability to escape quickly,’ says the Fire Administration’s Teresa Neal, a fire program specialist.”
In Lexington, Kentucky fire safety is a priority, and the Lexington Fire Department’s Community Services Division is happy to assist our aging population when it comes to preventative measures like updating smoke alarms and changing batteries.
The Lexington Fire Department Community Services Division, in partnership with the American Red Cross, will install 10-year lithium battery smoke alarms in all homes in Fayette County.
The smoke alarms are free and will be installed by the Lexington Fire Department at no cost to the occupant.
As part of the installation, the LFD will also conduct a fire safety inspection.
To schedule a smoke alarm installation
Contact the Lexington Fire Department via email at LFD-communityservices@lexingtonky.gov or call (859) 231-5662.
This article also appears on page 14 of the 2022 print edition of Senior Living Lexington.
