Energizer and International Association of Fire Chiefs Honor Silver Anniversary with Adoption of 25 Fire Departments and Donation of 250,000 Batteries across the Country
The message is simple, and the habit can be lifesaving. Thirty-eight percent of fatal fire injuries occur in homes without working smoke alarms, while 24 percent occur in homes in which at least one smoke alarm is present but fails to operate, frequently due to dead or missing batteries.* For 25 years, the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery®program has been dedicated to helping share the life-saving reminder to change the batteries in your home’s smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when you change your clocks for daylight savings.
This year, Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) will mark the silver anniversary of one of the nation’s top home fire safety programs by donating 250,000Energizer® MAX® batteries to fire departments across the country to distribute to local families in their areas and adopting 25 fire departments in 25 cities across the nation, who, in addition to batteries, will be equipped with a varietyEnergizer® family safety products for their department and to share in their communities. Together, they will host Home Safety Days and neighborhood canvasses spanning throughout National Fire Prevention Month in October until the end of daylight saving time on Sunday, Nov. 4.
“In the past 25 years, the number of home fire deaths has substantially decreased,” said Chief Hank Clemmensen, IAFC president and chairman of the board. “That success is mostly thanks to the thousands of hours—every year for 25 years—that local fire departments have dedicated to improving the safety environment through technology, policy and, especially, public education efforts like the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® program. But the world does not stand still, local fire department budgets are shrinking, many people still don’t have a basic baseline of protection from smoke alarms, and we must keep pace with changes in technology and the built environment, It’s still vital that homes be equipped with working smoke detectors in order to give families those critical extra seconds to escape.”
There are currently 23 million homes at risk of a fire because—although they have smoke alarms—the alarms are not functioning, mostly due to dead or missing batteries. Sharing the reminder to Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® is a simple way to help protect neighbors and loved ones.
“We began the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery®program with the IAFC 25 years ago to do our part in helping to keep families safe, “said Michelle Atkinson, Vice President of Marketing for Energizer North America. “Today it’s amazing to look back and see how the more than four million batteries donated through hundreds of neighborhood canvasses has translated to countless lives being saved. It’s another example of our philosophy of that’s positivenergy™ brought to life. We are grateful to the IAFC and local fire departments across the country for helping us share this message and make a positive impact.”
The 25th anniversary of Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® kicked off Oct. 1 in Chicago, where the Chicago Fire Department was joined by MLB Hall of Famer and that’s positivenergy™ Ambassador Cal Ripken, Jr. to honor the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire. The Energizer Bunny®Brigade recreated the scene of the O’Leary Barn, where by legend the fire started, and firefighters provided a fire safety demonstration for local students. Following, Ripken led the first of the neighborhood canvasses with fire officials in Southside Chicago who conducted fire safety inspections and surprised homeowners with Family Safety Kits, stocked with products designed to help keep homes safe including Kidde smoke detectors, Energizer® MAX® batteries and Energizer®Weatheready® flashlights.
The Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® program is just one of the ways Energizer brings to life the company’s commitment to making a positive impact in communities across the country. that’s positivenergy™
For more information, please visit energizer.com and facebook.com/energizerbunny.
About Energizer:
Energizer Holdings, Inc. [NYSE: ENR], headquartered in St. Louis, MO, is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of primary batteries, portable flashlights and lanterns. Energizeris a global leader in the dynamic business of providing power solutions with a full portfolio of products including Energizer®brand battery products Energizer® MAX® premium alkaline;Energizer® Ultimate Lithium; Energizer® Advanced Lithium; Rechargeable batteries and charging systems; portable flashlights and lanterns; power connectors, inductive chargers and, most recently, comprehensive household lighting collections.
Energizer continues to fulfill its role as a technology innovator by redefining portable power solutions to meet people’s active lifestyle needs for today and tomorrow with chargers for rechargeable portable devices; charging systems for wireless video game controllers; and specialty batteries for hearing aids, health and fitness devices, as well as for keyless remote entry systems, toys and watches. Energizer is redefining where energy, technology and freedom meet to bring to market consumer-focused products that power the essential devices that help people stay connected and on the go at work and at play. Visit www.energizer.com,www.facebook.com/energizerbunny.
About The International Association of Fire Chiefs:
The IAFC (www.iafc.org) is a nonprofit professional organization representing nearly 12,000 chief fire officers and emergency services leaders worldwide. Its members are the world’s leading experts in firefighting, emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous materials spills, natural disasters, search & rescue, and public safety legislation. The organization features a robust, member-driven Fire and Life Safety Section which champions fire safety and prevention through efforts such as code development, model policies and public education programs, such as the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® andSmart Choices for Smoke Alarm Placement
*Statistics provided by the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
