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NYS To Require Smoke Detectors With 10-Year Batteries

SMOKE DETECTOR
wikipedia

New York state will soon mandate that new smoke detectors contain 10-year, non-removable batteries.  Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the measure into law late Monday.

When the new law takes effect in New York in 2017 the state will prohibit the sale of any detector that requires traditional replaceable batteries. The rule is intended to reduce tampering and ensure detectors continue to work even if a homeowner or business owner forgot to change the batteries.

Officials say fire deaths have been cut in half since the state first required smoke alarms in homes starting in 1961.

Several other states already have similar requirements.

According to manufacturers, the mandate will save consumers money by negating the need to purchase new batteries.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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