Change Clocks, Change Batteries

It's that time of year again daylight Savings time starts Sunday and volunteers are helping people spring forward safely.

George Love's showed us some of his family's most prized possessions. Family photos, antiques and of course their two dogs. Until Saturday he and his wife had never even thought about getting a smoke detector, but then the thought of losing it all set in.

"Everything we have has sentimental value and it would be hard to replace the sentimental value," says George Love.

With the help of a few volunteers, Love got his chance to protect those valuables. For a few hours this morning, about 50 people walked in the rain handing out smoke detectors and changing batteries for those that have them.
Just like that, the Love's went from not having a smoke detector at all, but getting two for free.      

"When someone comes around with something for you that can save lives its worth it," says Love.

There wasn't a warning in a Hixson fire that killed a man last July. Firefighters couldn't save Christopher Womble who died when flames tore through the shed behind his home. However, he is the reason volunteers chose to visit 220 Hixson residents.

"We're encouraging people also to install home sprinkler systems the probability of someone surviving the fire with a home sprinkler system is 100 percent," says Chattanooga Fire Department Chief David Brooks.

At least having a practiced drill along with an alarm increases safety by 80 percent. Now, the Love's have both.

"If you lose one room, that's still a room you've lost and so its worth the gift," says Love.

Chief Brooks says most of the people they visited today were pretty prepared. The next time they'll be out is when it's time to Fall back.