Fire safety officials gathered in Springfield on Tuesday to warn against using smoke detectors with a removable battery. They also reminded Illinoisans about a law requiring newer detectors. Common advice is to change your smoke detector battery every year. But Margaret Vaughn of the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance is urging a new approach - replace the detector with one that has a built-in battery that lasts up to 10 years. She says the old ones can’t be guaranteed to work if a fire breaks out.
“Everyone thinks it’s not gonna happen to them, everyone thinks we can change the alarms later, everyone thinks they can run from a fire, and unfortunately you don’t have a chance," she told reporters.
According to the Illinois Fire Marshal’s office, more than 100 people died last year in structure fires.