Smoke detectors in NY must have 10-year, nonremovable batteries starting in 2017

ALBANY >> The familiar reminder to “change you clocks, change your batteries” twice a year is about to become a thing of the past.

Starting just over 12 months from now, New York state will require all new smoke detectors to contain 10-year, nonremovable batteries in a move to discourage tampering and ensure the devices continue to work even if the owner fails to check on them.

The mandate, signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo late Monday, will prohibit the sale of detectors with traditional, replaceable batteries as of Jan. 1, 2017. States including California and Maryland already have similar requirements.

The New York’s measure’s supporters say they expect the law to save lives and note that fire deaths have been cut in half since the state first required smoke alarms in homes starting in 1961.

“They are, without question, the most important safety device a person can have in their home,” said the bill’s sponsor, Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Morelle, D-Rochester. “Unfortunately, the data clearly demonstrates that the majority of fire-related deaths transpire in homes without working smoke alarms or no alarms at all.”

The long-life batteries make it difficult for an occupant to disable the device when it’s activated by cooking, cigarette smoke or a drained battery. And residents will no longer have to remember to change batteries every six months, according to the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York.

“We’ve seen, time and time again, that working smoke alarms can be the difference between life and death,” said FASNY President Robert McConville.

While the new detectors tend to be more expensive than older models, manufacturers say consumers will save money over the life of the device because they won’t have to purchase new batteries.