Change your clock; change your batteries

Change is good, unless of course, it means one less hour of sleep for already sleepy Americans. Many of us will be yawning and late this Sunday when the time changes.

If you think Daylight Saving Time (there is no s on the end of saving) begins early this year, you still have not acclimated to the 2007 changes made in start and stop dates. Clocks were set forward on April 11, 2006. This year, clocks move forward from 1:59AM to 3:00AM on Sunday, March 9th.

The change is part of a study on saving energy. Yes, I said study. If the Department of Energy study reports no energy savings, Congress reserves the right to change back to the 2005 schedule.

DST may or may not save energy, but for years it has definitely saved lives. When DST begins and ends, Americans are urged to change the batteries in their smoke detectors when they change the time on their clocks.

Smoke detectors (and carbon monoxide detectors) save lives but only if they have working batteries. Although 90 percent of Americans have smoke detectors in their homes, experts estimates almost 1/3 of those detectors don’t work because the batteries are dead or missing. The price of a new battery is small; there is no price you can put on your life or the lives of your loved ones.

This year consider changing all the life-saving and life-enhancing batteries in your home and office.

Start with your emergency preparedness kit. You do have one – don’t you? With the spring storm season approaching and the hurricane season following, this is an ideal time to update and replace emergency items you may have used during the last emergency.

Batteries do not last forever. If exposed to heat or moisture or abuse, they can even become fire or chemical hazards.

One note: You can purchase many emergency items such as flashlights and radios that use hand crank power units. These devices require no batteries, just a little elbow grease to turn the crank and create the power. These would be good for your main emergency devices but you may still want a battery-powered unit for backup should you be too injured to turn the crank.

Don’t buy new batteries or equipment until you have checked what you already have. This will reduce cost, reduce waste and make sure you have what you need to saves lives.

Take the time to check your battery-operated equipment and stock items. Make sure everything works properly and items have not reached or exceeded their expiration dates.

Remove the batteries from all your emergency devices. Check for any leakage or corrosion.

Use a dry paper towel to clean the device and batteries. Clean the battery contacts. Do not use anything but dry, lint-less cloth. If items need more intense cleaning, check the owner’s manual or call the company for further cleaning instructions.

For emergency flashlights, your best bet may be the use of rechargeable units that also act as safety and night lights. Since these units stay on when the power fails, they are easy to locate and may assist in exiting a building. These rechargeable units will lose power however, so you should also have backup battery-operated flashlights for long-lasting emergency situations.

Turn off battery-operated devices when they are not in use. Do not leave batteries in any item you will not use within the next 2 months.

Store batteries in a cool, dry place. Moisture can cause corrosion, leaking or even rupture of the battery. Exposing batteries to extreme heat or throwing them into a fire can cause an explosion.

Do not drop, hit or abuse batteries. The power from a battery can be life-saving; the contents can be deadly.

Do not mix old and new batteries. Pay close attention when inserting batteries so they fit properly.

Keep batteries away from children and pets. They are choking hazards and the contents are toxic.

This weekend, check and restock your emergency preparedness supplies. Change your batteries and set your clocks forward one hour. You can catch up on the lost sleep in November.