NYS - New smoke detector law goes into effect Monday April1, 2019

We all know that properly functioning smoke alarms save lives.

In fact, having a working smoke alarm cuts the chances of fatalities in a reported fire in half. It’s no debate that smoke alarms are extremely important when it comes to keeping you and your family safe. That’s why New York State legally requires homeowners to have a smoke alarm in each bedroom, near all sleeping areas and on every level of the home, including the basement.

In late December of 2015, it was announced that New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a new law requiring that all battery-operated smoke alarms sold in New York State be equipped with non-removable, 10-year batteries.

The purpose of this law is simple: if the batteries are sealed in for 10 years, homeowners can’t borrow them for the remote, or forget to change them on an annual basis. That means less non-functional smoke detectors and more early warnings when a fire breaks out. It’s no wonder that this law is being praised by the Fireman’s Association of the State of New York for helping to keep people safe in their homes.

This new law will go into effect on April 1, 2019.

Robert Leonard, public relations chairman of the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York, told The Buffalo News “The goal of this legislation is to require all stores in New York to only carry the 10-year, sealed battery smoke alarm.” Retailers have already been stocking and selling 10-year sealed alarms by choice. Traditional non-sealed alarms will not suddenly disappear from your local hardware store, but when they are gone they will not be restocked.

…but it is a good idea to replace your smoke alarms as soon as possible.

There are a number of significant reasons to switch to 10-year sealed smoke alarms. Regardless of your reason, these alarms are considered to be much safer than their non-sealed counterparts by the very folks who would show up to fight a fire in your home. Not only do they help eliminate faulty alarms due to tampering, they drastically reduce the number of false alarms answered by local fire departments due to low battery alert ‘chirping’ sounds. The resources saved from reducing these types of ‘nuisance’ calls help firefighters better serve their communities.