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Smoke alarms can save lives

Last week, nearly a $3 million mansion in Concord, Massachusetts went up in smoke.

The cause is reported to be a chimney fire. It quickly engulfed the house and took hours to reduce.

A lesson can be learned in the new year, which quickly came and went.

Hopefully, it’s a fond memory for you. You may have enjoyed a day off work, perhaps a celebration the night before, and maybe some college football on the big day itself.

Forget to do anything?

Hint: Checked your smoke and/or carbon monoxide detectors lately?

Home safety experts advise us that the operation of such devices ought to be checked periodically. Batteries should be changed at least annually, they add. Some suggest remembering to do that when the changeover to daylight savings time occurs. Others suggest New Year’s Day.

It makes sense. If you have the day off, you have plenty of time to take just a few minutes to check the detectors and put in new batteries.

Is that really such a big deal? Yes.

Nearly 60% of the deaths in home fires occur where no smoke alarms were present — or they were not working, according to the National Fire Protection Association. The death rate in reported home fires was more than twice as high for residences without working smoke detectors.

So yes, it is important.

Not to worry. You forgot to check the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on New Year’s Day — but the weekend is here. That should give you plenty of time to perform a simple task that could save your life or those of loved ones.