Lombard residents who still have old battery-operated smoke alarms should replace them before clocks change Sunday, Nov. 1, the Lombard Fire Department said in a village alert.
Daylight saving time ends that morning, and the department is urging residents to use the clock change as a prompt to test every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm in the house.
Nearly three out of five home fire deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The most common causes of alarm failure are missing, disconnected or dead batteries and disabled hardwired systems.
Illinois law has raised the bar since Jan. 1, 2023. The Illinois Smoke Detector Act requires most single-family and multi-family homes that use battery-operated alarms to install models with 10-year sealed batteries. The village alert said those units can save homeowners between $40 and $60 over the life of each alarm. They are widely available at home improvement stores and online.
Alarms installed before Jan. 1, 2023, may remain in place until they exceed 10 years from their manufactured date, fail a test or otherwise malfunction, according to the Illinois State Fire Marshal's office.
Two groups are exempt from the sealed-battery requirement: homes built after 1988 that already have hardwired smoke alarms, and homes with wireless integrated alarms that use radio frequency, Wi-Fi or other smart-home technology. Homeowners with hardwired systems can still upgrade to models with a 10-year sealed battery backup.
The NFPA recommends installing smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement. Alarms should be interconnected so that when one sounds, they all do. Any unit older than 10 years or that fails a monthly test should be replaced.
Residents with questions can contact the Lombard Fire Prevention Bureau at 630-620-5750.
