Endicott Firefighters Highlight Recent Crucial, Yet Easily Fixable Smoke Detector Mistakes

We are told twice a year to change and check the batteries in our smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. So when we spring forward and fall back for daylight savings time, in theory, we take a look.

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Something happened in the Southern Tier this past week that reminds us that we need to check more often than twice in 365 days. Twice this week, the Endicott Fire Department (EFD) Platoon 2 responded to two local residences.

One was for an odor and the other for a smoke alarm in the hallway going off. The first turned out to be a sewer gas odor from a vacant apartment next door and the second was for burnt food.

Endicott Fire Department Warns Residents To Keep CO/Smoke Alarms In Proper Order

Here's where the problem occurred. The one location, the smoke alarm was up but didn't have batteries in it. The other location had the alarm on the kitchen counter and the EFD was told that there were batteries in it and it worked.

To which the EFD could have said "If the smoke/carbon monoxide alarm is working then why isn't it working." Easy answer, no batteries. Here's the other thing, if it was working in proper order, then his smoke alarm would have alerted him, instead of the neighbors.

Nothing will make your neighbor angrier than being woke up, thinking your building is on fire and it turns out to be an empty pan next door. The EFD is finding that too many residents are taking down their alarms or taking out the batteries.

For the safety of your family and everyone around you, be responsible and keep your CO and smoke alarms in good working order. It can cost people their lives and that can be hard to live with if you're responsible.

Maybe you are like my sister who knows that the food is done when the smoke alarm goes off, so she always has fresh batteries. If you are like everyone else and removes the batteries or take down the alarm, don't forget to replace it.

Firefighters Association of the State of New York Smoke Alarm Safety Tips

The Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY) wants you to learn the sounds of fire safety so that you and your residents will be around. If your alarm is still going off and it's not because of bad batteries or fire, here are some things that you can do to silence your alarms.