Change Smoke Detector Batteries to Save Lives

A reminder for this weekend from the Missouri Assistant Fire Marshall: when you set your clocks back an hour as Daylight Savings Time ends, change the batteries in your smoke detectors. Assistant Fire Marshall Randy Cole says investigators check out about 60 to 70 fatal fires each year and some of the deaths could have been prevented with working smoke detectors. Cole says each floor of a house should have smoke detectors and detectors should be located in every bedroom and each hallway outside the bedrooms. Cole adds that children should be taught to recognize the sound of a smoke alarm and know what to do to evacuate. Cole says the warning of a smoke detector could save lives, but the detector has to be working properly.