As we prepare to spring forward overnight for the return to Daylight Saving Time, Georgia's Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner is making his bi-annual appeal to check the batteries in your smoke detector.
John King said it's been a deadly year for house fires in Georgia, but the trend could be reversed if more people had working smoke alarms in their homes.
"Last year was disastrous from our perspective," King said in an interview with AccessWDUN. "Of the fatal fires we had in Georgia, 91-percent of them didn't have working smoke detectors and we had 97 fatalities in our state"
King said the trend is continuing in 2020 with 21 fatal residential fires, resulting in 23 fatalities. In those incidents, 18 of the fires occurred in homes with no working smoke alarms.
King said that's why his office and local fire departments continue to hammer the message about smoke alarms when the time changes in the fall and in the spring.
Not only does King want Georgia residents to check smoke alarm batteries, he also wants them to get the dust out of the devices, and he wants families to make a fire safety plan.
Hall County Fire Services to hold smoke alarm blitz on Saturday
King said he's aware some people don't buy smoke alarms because it's an added expense to the household budget, but he said there are several low-cost, yet effective models for sale. In addition, most fire departments have additional smoke detectors on hand for distribution.
In fact, Hall County Fire Services has scheduled a smoke alarm blitz for Saturday, March 7 in the Skelton Road/Browns Bridge Road area. Division Chief Zachary Brackett said firefighters will begin canvassing the area around 9 a.m., making sure homes have working smoke detectors. Firefighters will install alarms when needed, and they will replace batteries, as well. Brackett said the American Red Cross is providing the new smoke alarms at no cost to residents in the area.
Legislation pending to change Daylight Saving Time
King said he is aware the Georgia legislature has been discussing the idea of changing Daylight Saving Time, perhaps putting the question on the ballot for Georgians to answer later in the year. However, he said he's not worried a removal of the time change policy will damage his office's educational efforts.
"I like the idea of having a key event scheduled during the year," King said.
But if there's a change?
"We'll just pick another date that's significant."
For now, King said he and his office will continue to push the message of fire safety when the clocks move forward and back.
