By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph residents will gain an hour of sleep on Sunday as the clocks fall back, but there is one more thing they should be aware of as the time changes.
Fire inspector with the St. Joseph fire department Steve Hendrickson says that as the time changes, now is the time to check the smoke alarms in your home.
"Change your clock, change your battery, it ensures you have fresh batteries in there so that the smoke detector can protect you, it's also time to test it to make sure it's still working," Hendrickson tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.
With the cold weather beginning to show up in St. Joseph, the St. Joseph fire department begins to lookout for some common causes of fires.
Fire inspector Steve Hendrickson says that the department often sees problems with vacant homes.
"People getting inside of them to stay warm and starting a small fire then it getting away from them, things like that," Hendrickson says
But besides that, there are other causes of fire the department sees often
"Fireplaces all those, they have chimneys and things on them that need to be checked and serviced properly, because the mortar and stufff like that gets loose in the chimney and that's when you get your floo fires," Hendrickson explains. "And if it hasn't been cleaned of course you've also got the kreosote buildup that can also catch on fire."
Hendrickson says that the best way to prevent a fire in your home, is to simply pay attention.
"If you have a live tree make sure it has plenty of water, things like that, but other than that there's not much, its just like everyday just watching out and making sure if something doesn't look right check it and make sure it's right," Hendrickson explains. "And if you have a question call us and residential will probably come out and check it for you."
Hendrickson says to make sure space heaters, as well as fireplaces and wood stoves, have adequate space between them and anything that can catch fire.
The fire department also urges everyone to check their smoke alarms and change the batteries in them as the time changes on Sunday.