Loyola Expert Recommends to Change Smoke Detector Batteries When Changing Your Clocks

November 2, 2017

MAYWOOD, IL – When daylight savings ends on Sunday, November 5, 2017, use the extra hour you gain to check the smoke detectors in your home, says Art Sanford, MD, a Loyola Medicine burn surgeon.

"Fires often occur at night while people are sleeping and most vulnerable," Dr. Sanford said. "Nearly half of all fires start in the bedroom or family room and the kitchen rounds out the top three. Those are the areas to prioritize when installing smoke detectors."

In 2016, more than 475,500 fires, 2,950 deaths, 12,775 injuries and $7.9 billion in property damage were reported by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Cooking equipment, smoking materials and home heating devices such as space heaters are the top causes of home fires.

Dr. Sanford and Loyola's Burn Center treat hundreds of children and adults yearly due to burn injuries in Illinois' largest burn center. A regional leader in burn care, Loyola's outstanding success rates and multidisciplinary approach are recognized by the American College of Surgeons and American Burn Association.

"As you 'fall back,' take the time to change smoke detector batteries and replace broken smoke detectors," said Dr. Sanford. "Three out of five home fire deaths occur because no smoke detectors were present or the fire alarm did not operate."

About Loyola Medicine

Loyola Medicine, a member of Trinity Health, is a nationally ranked academic, quaternary care system based in Chicago's western suburbs. The three-hospital system includes Loyola University Medical Center (LUMC), Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, MacNeal Hospital, as well as convenient locations offering primary care, specialty care and immediate care services from nearly 2,000 physicians throughout Cook, Will and DuPage counties. LUMC is a 547-licensed-bed hospital in Maywood that includes the William G. and Mary A. Ryan Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine, the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, the John L. Keeley, MD, Emergency Department, a Level 1 trauma center, Illinois's largest burn center, the Nancy W. Knowles Orthopaedic Institute, a certified comprehensive stroke center, transplant center and a children’s hospital. Having delivered compassionate care for over 50 years, Loyola also trains the next generation of caregivers through its academic affiliation with Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine and Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing.

For more information, visit loyolamedicine.org. You can also follow Loyola Medicine on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or X (formerly known as Twitter).

About Trinity Health

Trinity Health is one of the largest not-for-profit, faith-based health care systems in the nation. It is a family of 127,000 colleagues and more than 38,300 physicians and clinicians caring for diverse communities across 26 states. Nationally recognized for care and experience, the Trinity Health system includes 93 hospitals, 107 continuing care locations, the second largest PACE program in the country, 142 urgent care locations and many other health and well-being services. In fiscal year 2024, the Livonia, Michigan-based health system invested $1.3 billion in its communities in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs. For more information, visit us at www.trinity-health.org, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X (formerly known as Twitter).

Loyola Expert Recommends to Change Smoke Detector Batteries When Changing Your Clocks

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