Pass It On: Use the Extra Hour to Remind Your Friends, Family and Neighbors to Change Their Smoke Alarm Batteries and Make a Positive Change in Your CommunityST. LOUIS, MO, Oct 20, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --
Daylight-saving time ends Sunday, Nov. 7, and marks the 23rdanniversary of the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery(R) program,created by Energizer (NYSE: ENR) and the International Association ofFire Chiefs (IAFC), which reminds people to check and change thebatteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors duringthe fall time change. This message is simple, and the habit can belifesaving. Forty percent of fatal fire injuries occur in homeswithout working smoke alarms, while 23 percent occur in homes inwhich at least one smoke alarm is present but fails to operate.*
Firefighters work tirelessly to help reduce the risk factors byeducating their residents on the importance of having a working smokealarm. In many communities, fire departments are able to distributefree batteries to citizens in need as a result of the Change YourClock Change Your Battery program. Over the past 22 years, Energizerhas donated more than four million batteries to local firedepartments. This year, people have an opportunity to get involved ina very simple way to help increase the donation.
In an effort to reach more community members nationwide, Energizer,as part of its new Now That's Positivenergy(TM) program, is enlistingpeople across the country to help double the donation of batteries tolocal fire departments. When people visit the CYCCYB tab on theEnergizer Bunny(R) Facebook page, (www.facebook.com/energizerbunny),they can send a Change Your Clock Change Your Battery reminder totheir friends to trigger a battery donation. In addition, people canmake an online pledge to change the batteries in their smoke alarmsand carbon monoxide detectors or develop a home escape plan online tohelp increase the number of batteries the company donates this year,up to 400,000 batteries.
"Each year, thousands of lives are forever changed due to thedevastating effects of a home fire, especially when home firefatalities are a factor," said Chief Jack E. Parow, EFO, presidentand chairman of the board of the International Association of FireChiefs. "For that reason alone, Energizer's donation of batteries hasbecome a vital and necessary component to keeping communities acrossthe nation safe and sound. A working smoke alarm is a family's bestdefense for surviving a home fire."
This year, the public can play an important role in helping to spreadthe life-saving message.
"For 23 years, Energizer, the IAFC and more than 6,200 firedepartments have partnered to educate communities on the importanceof home fire safety and having working smoke alarms," said Jim Olsen,Vice President of Marketing for Energizer North America. "By askingfor the public's help this year, we hope to further raise awarenessof the life-saving message, while also increasing the batterydonation to help more community members in need avoid devastatinghome fire fatalities."
Extra Good in Your Neighborhood Setting the clock and replacing thebatteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors is quick andeasy. In addition to encouraging others to do so, also consider usingthe extra hour you gain from daylight-saving time to create somepositive changes in your community.
One positive change residents are encouraged to make is to use theextra hour "gained" to remind their friends, family and neighbors ofthe life-saving habit of changing and testing smoke alarm batteries.The simple reminder is one of the easiest, most-effective ways toreduce tragic home fire deaths and injuries.
Secondly, you can spend your extra hour spreading good in yourneighborhood. More than 80 percent of local fire departments arestaffed by volunteers. Energizer and the IAFC are encouraging peopleto use their extra hour volunteering to make a change in theircommunity.
"It's about taking small steps together to make a big difference,from reminding each other to get in the habit of the Change YourClock Change Your Battery(R) program to using our extra hours to makea difference in the community-- Now That's Positivenergy(TM)," Olsensaid.
About Energizer Energizer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ENR), headquarteredin St. Louis, MO, is one of the world's largest manufacturers ofprimary batteries, portable battery-powered devices, and portableflashlights and lanterns. Energizer is a global leader in the dynamicbusiness of providing power solutions with a full portfolio ofproducts including Energizer(R) brand battery products Energizer(R)MAX(R) premium alkaline; Energizer(R) Ultimate Lithium; Energizer(R)Advanced Lithium; Rechargeable batteries and charging systems; andportable flashlights and lanterns.
Energizer continues to fulfill its role as a technology innovator byredefining portable power solutions to meet people's active lifestyleneeds for today and tomorrow with Energizer(R) Energi To Go(R)chargers for rechargeable portable devices; charging systems forwireless video game controllers; and specialty batteries for hearingaids, health and fitness devices, as well as for keyless remote entrysystems, toys and watches. Energizer is redefining where energy,technology and freedom meet to bring to market consumer-focusedproducts that power the essential devices that help people stayconnected 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, represents the leadership of over 1.2 millionfirefighters and emergency responders. IAFC members are the world'sleading experts in firefighting, emergency medical services,terrorism response, hazardous materials spills, natural disasters,search and rescue, and public safety legislation. Since 1873, theIAFC has provided a forum for education, the exchange ideas, and thepromotion of community and firefighter safety. The organization isco-founder with Energizer on the long-running Change Your ClockChange Your Battery(R) campaign to promote working smoke alarms andcarbon dioxide detectors.
*Statistics provided by the National Fire Prevention Association
To view this press release in a media-rich format, go to:http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2010/energizer01020cyccyb/index.html
For more information contact:Erin Greenman314.727.5700, x114Email ContactWendy Bain314.727.5700, x110Email ContactAnn DavisonIAFC703.273.9815, x329Email Contact
SOURCE: Energizer
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