Replace smoke detector batteries this weekend

DU QUOIN - Du Quoin Fire Chief David Durkota reminds area residents to move their clocks back one hour before going to bed Saturday night - and to also change the batteries in their smoke alarms.

Durkota said the state is requiring all smoke detectors to have a sealed 10-year life battery in them by Jan. 1, 2023.

Almost all U.S. homes have at least one smoke alarm, but three of every five home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or none that worked.

This change in the law requires all Illinois residents to replace their old smoke detectors with the type that has a long-term battery. Homes with hard-wired units, or units running by Wi-Fi or low-powered radio frequencies, are not required to comply.

Durkota said that as a detector reaches 10 years of age, it should be taken out of service and replaced.