Spring Forward Safely: Illinois Fire Officials Urge Residents to Test and Replace Smoke and CO Alarms (Springfield, IL) – As Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 8, Illinois State Fire Marshal Michele Pankow is reminding residents to test, inspect, and replace smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms in their homes. Officials encourage using new 10-year sealed battery alarms to ensure maximum protection.
“Working smoke alarms save lives—the key word is working,” Pankow said. “As you change your clocks this weekend, take a few minutes to test all smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in your home, check their expiration dates, and replace any that are broken or more than 10 years old. A functioning smoke alarm gives you and your family the early warning needed to escape safely in the event of a fire. While you’re at it, review and practice your family’s fire escape plan.”
The bi-annual clock change serves as a reminder to ensure all alarms are functional. If an alarm is not working or has expired, residents are urged to replace it immediately with a 10-year sealed battery model and practice a fire-escape drill with their families.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), nearly 59% of U.S. home fire deaths occur in residences with no smoke alarms or alarms that failed to operate, while 43% of deaths result from homes with no alarms present. Homes with working smoke alarms experience a death rate approximately 60% lower than homes without alarms or with non-working alarms.
Statistics from the Illinois “Be Alarmed!” Smoke Alarm Installation Program show that in 2025, 68% of pre-existing smoke alarms in homes receiving new 10-year sealed battery alarms were non-functional or expired. In total, the program installed alarms in over 3,200 homes, protecting 7,800 residents and educating them on fire safety plans.
Philip Zaleski, Executive Director of Camp I Am Me by Illinois Fire Safety Alliance, emphasized the importance of functional alarms. “Ensuring your smoke alarms are properly working as well as less than 10-years old can help prevent a tragedy from occurring in the home. As a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting burn survivors, we’ve seen firsthand how devastating residential fires can be, too often when a smoke alarm wasn’t working or present. That simple check can save lives.”
Since 2018, nearly 50,000 smoke alarms worth approximately $1.5 million have been distributed to Illinois fire departments through the “Be Alarmed!” program, a partnership between Camp I Am Me and the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal. The program’s goal is to create fire-safe communities by educating residents and providing life-saving fire safety devices.
For more information on the “Be Alarmed!” program and fire safety resources, visit https://www.ifsa.org/prevention-resources/smoke-alarm/.
Spring Forward Safely: Illinois Fire Officials Urge Residents to Test and Replace Smoke and CO Alarms
