Before you go to bed tonight, remember to move your clock forward one hour and take the time to change the batteries in your smoke alarm. If you have a battery-operated carbon monoxide alarm, change those batteries also.
During the 2013 session of the Maryland General Assembly, the thirty-eight year old Maryland Smoke Alarm Law was completely rewritten and updated to take advantage of new technology. With the full support of the Maryland Fire Service, Senate Bill 969 and House Bill 1413 passed unanimously in both chambers and have been signed into law by Governor O'Malley. The Maryland Smoke Alarm Law will now be compatible with applicable national codes including, "NFPA 72 – National Fire Alarms and Signaling Code" and the "International Residential Code" for new construction. More importantly, the law will require over the course of the next few years an upgrade in smoke alarm coverage in existing homes. Under provisions of the new law, a single 9-volt battery operated smoke alarm in the second floor hallway will no longer be adequate in some existing older homes. The Maryland Smoke Alarm Law will require a minimum of one smoke alarm on every level of the home. Where battery operated smoke alarms are acceptable, sealed battery operated smoke alarms with long life batteries and hush button features will now be required.
