Illinois Urges Residents to Test and Replace Smoke and CO Alarms as Clocks Change
The state fire marshal says working smoke alarms can reduce the risk of dying in a home fire by 60 percent, and urges families to review and practice their escape plans.
SPRINGFIELD — As residents turn their clocks back this weekend, the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal is urging them to test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and replace any that are broken or expired to help protect against emergencies at home.
Illinois recorded 136 residential fire deaths in 2025, with a majority occurring in homes without smoke alarms, according to the office.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Working smoke alarms reduce the risk of dying in a home fire by 60%, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Most civilian home fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms or alarms that do not work.
“As we prepare to turn our clocks back, it’s a great reminder to make fire safety a priority at home,” Illinois State Fire Marshal Michele Pankow said. “Take time to test your smoke alarms, check their expiration dates, and replace any alarms that are expired or not working properly. Working smoke alarms provide an early warning that can make all the difference in an emergency.”
Smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years. The office advises residents to replace alarms manufactured before October 2016, preferably with models equipped with 10-year sealed batteries.
Missing or nonfunctioning power sources — including missing, disconnected or dead batteries and disconnected hardwired alarms — were the most common reasons smoke alarms failed to operate, according to the association. Hardwired alarms operated in 94% of fires considered large enough to trigger them.
Nearly two-thirds, or 66%, of fatal injuries in home fires where smoke alarms were present occurred in properties with battery-only alarms.
The state fire marshal’s office partners with Camp I AM Me by the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance and local fire departments to offer the Be Alarmed! Smoke Alarm Installation Program. The program provides free smoke alarms and fire safety education to eligible residents. Since it began in 2018, more than 70% of smoke alarms found in participating homes were not functioning.
Modern furnishings and construction materials can allow fires to spread rapidly, leaving families with less than three minutes to escape in many cases, the office said.
Residents should involve everyone in their household in developing and practicing a fire escape plan. The office recommends identifying at least two ways out of every room, keeping escape routes clear and making sure doors and windows open easily. Windows with security bars or grilles should have emergency release devices.
Households should choose a permanent outdoor meeting place, such as a tree, light pole or mailbox, a safe distance in front of the home. Someone should be assigned to assist infants, older adults, people with mobility limitations and children who do not wake to smoke alarms.
If an alarm sounds, residents should leave quickly, go to their meeting place and stay outside. Anyone who is missing should be reported to the fire department dispatcher rather than prompting someone to reenter the building.
As temperatures drop and residents begin using their furnaces, the office also recommends having furnaces inspected and cleaned annually by a licensed heating, ventilation and air conditioning technician.
More like this:
- Most Popular
- Top Stories
- Most Recent
