As the weekend approaches, people everywhere will grumble as we remind you to change the clocks once again for daylight saving time on Sunday. As you push the clocks forward an hour, let’s take a moment to remember some history about daylight saving time as well as some things you should remember to put on your weekend to-do list.
Facts about Daylight Saving Time
Although Benjamin Franklin is hailed as being the originator of daylight saving time, it was actually an Englishman by the name of Willian Willett who led the first campaign to implement this system. Benjamin Franklin penned a satirical essay about being “early to bed and early to rise” after being awoken by the sun at 6 a.m. William Willett had the idea for daylight saving time in 1905 while riding his horse on the outskirts of London. He had this epiphany that the United Kingdom should move its clocks forward about 80 minutes between April and October so the people could enjoy more sunlight. In 1907, Willett published a brochure encouraging people entitled “the Waste of Daylight” in 1907. He spent his personal fortune on a mission to have this plan accepted by Parliament. While Willett died in 1915 without ever seeing daylight saving time, Germany was the first country to enact this measure in April of 1916 during World War I as a measure to conserve electricity. Weeks later, the UK followed suit. It wasn’t until 1966 when the U.S. ordered enacted the Uniform Time Act, standardizing daylight saving time.
Replacing the Batteries
The National Fire Protection Association suggests replacing your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm batteries twice a year in order to prevent fires and CO poisoning. Go around your home and test your units to make sure they are working and they are mounted correctly.
Schedule a Furnace Inspection and Cleaning
Scheduling a furnace inspection and cleaning twice per year will help to ensure peak performance for your furnace all year round. This service can also help you avoid breakdowns and possible gas leaks. Don’t forget to clean your filters as well.
Clean the Kitchen
Every year, hundreds of fires are started because of dirty ovens and stove tops catching fire. Make sure to clean your kitchen appliances to prevent fires. Run your appliances on their self-cleaning function if possible or get ready to do some heavy-duty scrubbing. This is also the time to clean your refrigerator’s coils to keep the unit running efficiently. Use a wand vacuum to suck away layers of dirt and dust that have collected over the past few months.
It is important to add these things to your weekend to-do list before daylight savings time starts on Sunday. For help checking your fire alarms, call Fireline today for our inspection service!
Causes of Commercial Fires with Fireline!
At Fireline, we offer an array of portable fire extinguishers, fire alarms, and sprinkler systems to keep commercial kitchens safe. Fireline offers the highest quality alarm systems to keep your business safe from fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. We also offer fire suppression systems as well to help keep commercial fires controlled should they break out. Our trained technicians will work with you to determine which air sampling smoke detection system is best for your business. We will also help install and maintain the system for your commercial building.
To get started with Fireline today, or for more information on sprinkler systems call us at 1-800-553-3405, or visit our contact page.
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