Have you checked your smoke detectors recently?  It’s always a good idea to check your alarm batteries at the start of a New Year, but for Maryland residents, this January 1st has a more important meaning – it’s the deadline to comply with the new Maryland smoke alarm law aimed at reducing home fire deaths.  This law requires that homeowners replace any battery-only smoke alarms that are more than 10 years old with new alarms with a sealed-in batteries with 10-year life spans. According to NBC Washington’s report, “Officials said nationally, two thirds of all home fire deaths occur when there is no smoke alarm or a smoke alarm with missing or disconnected batteries. By requiring a sealed unit, it becomes tamper resistant, and residents don’t have to try to remember to change the batteries.” Here are the law’s key points:
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