I I r5uflYnc MARCH T, R THE JASPER NEWS J FL PAGE 3A


Time change provides home safety reminder


Replace aging smoke alarms, not just batteries


 With the beginning of
Daylight Saving Time
and the "spring forward"
time change on March 9,
many people will change
the batteries in their
smoke alarms, along with
setting their clocks ahead
one hour. However, sim-
ply replacing the batteries
in some smoke alarms
may not be enough to en-
sure protection against
fire emergencies, specifi-
cally if those alarms are
older than 10 years.
 Studies from the Na-
tional Fire Protection As-
sociation. (NFPA) indicate
one out of four alarms
may not be functional due
to the age of the alarm, as
well as dead or missing
batteries. That's why the
NFPA strongly recom-
mends replacing smoke


alarms after 10 years.
 "Daylight Saving Time
has always served as a
good reminder to change
the batteries in smoke
alarms," said Debbie
Hanson, director of exter-
nal affairs for BRK
Brands/First Alert. "But
we need people to re-
member that smoke
alarms should be re-
placed after 10 years to
ensure families are pro-
tected in fire emergen-
cies."
 In addition, several
smoke alarm models are
now available with spe-
cial lithium batteries that
last 10 years and never
have to be replaced dur-
ing the recommended life
of the alarm. Other fea-
tures of today's smoke
alarms include remote


controlled muting to qui-
et nuisance alarms and
easy access battery com-
partments, which allow
consumers to change or
replace batteries without
having to remove the
alarm from the ceiling.
 According to Hanson,
fire safety education and
routine maintenance of
smoke alarms are the cor-
nerstones to reducing, the
incidence and severity of
home fires. The following
are simple steps people
can take that will greatly
reduce the risk of fire-re-
lated injury and property
loss:
 Change the batteries
in smoke alarms every six
months or when the low
battery signal is heard.
 Test your alarms
weekly using the units'


test buttons to ensure bat-
teries and all alarm func-
tions are working proper-
ly.
 Never remove the
unit's batteries to stop an
unwanted alarm or "nui-
sance" alarm, such as
those caused by cooking
smoke or burnt toast. Ac-
cording to the NFPA, half
of the deaths in homes
equipped with smoke
alarms occur because the
smoke alarm did not
sound usually when bat-
teries are dead, discon-
nected or missing.
 Replace older
smoke alarms after 10
years or in accordance
with manufacturer's war-
ranties.
 To learn more about
protecting your family
from smoke, fire and car-
bon monoxide, visit
www.firstalert.com.


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Spring ahead March 9


 Each spring most
Americans move their
clock forward one hour
and each fall they move it
back again. A state is not
required to observe Day-
light Saving Time but if it
does, it must follow the
starting and ending dates
set by federal law. In


2007, the federal govern-
ment added about a
month to Daylight Saving
Time by by setting the be-
ginning date on the sec-
ond Sunday in March and
the ending date on the
first Sunday in Novem-
ber.


Notice of IRS

stimulus payment


 More than 130 million
American households
will soon begin receiving
Internal Revenue Service
letters reminding them to
file a 2007 tax return in or-
der to receive a 2008 eco-
nomic stimulus payment.
 The Economic Stimulus
Payment Notice alerts
people that they may be
eligible for a one-time
stimulus payment of up
to $600 ($1,200 married
filing jointly) starting in
May. There also is a $300
per child payment for
qualifying children
younger than 17.
 The notice is informa-
tional and does not seek
any financial information.
The main mailings, which
will take place in three
weekly batches, will go to
taxpayers who filed a tax
return last year.
 "To receive a payment
in 2008, individuals who
qualify will not have to
do anything more than
file a 2007 tax return. The
IRS will determine eligi-
bility, figure the amount
and send the payment,"
the notice states. "This
payment should not be
confused with any 2007
income tax refund that is
owed to you by the feder-


al government. Income
tax refunds for 2007 will
be made separately from
this one-time payment."
 However, some people
must take an extra step
this year to receive a stim-
ulus payment. In late
March, the IRS will send a
special mailing to certain
recipients of Social Secu-
rity and Veterans Affairs
benefits. Generally, those
benefits are nontaxable
and recipients do not file
tax returns. In-order to re-
ceive a stimulus payment,
people in this group need
to file a tax return if they
have at least $3,000 from a
combination of certain
Social Security benefits,
Veterans benefits and
earned income. The mini-
mum stimulus payment
for these people is $300
($600 for married filing
jointly).
 The IRS has created a
sample of Form 1040A
with information on how
to fill out a few lines that
will enable eligible people
who do not normally file
a tax return to receive the
stimulus payment.
 Details on eligibility,
payment amounts and re-
quirements are available
at www.irs.gov.


 hAIR
BUREAU~I

 INURNC


THE JASPER NEWS, Jasper, FL


PAGE 3A


THURSDAY.V MARCH 6.20088


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