Proclamation 6057—Fire Safety at Home Day, 1989

Sunday, October 29, 1989, is the date on which the Nation will return to Standard Time. In jurisdictions that observe daylight savings time, clocks will be set back 1 hour. We may use this adjustment of the clocks as a reminder to perform other simple actions -- actions that can save lives by helping to make our homes safe from accidental fire.

All Americans can take simple steps such as checking to ensure that fire exit paths are clear, safely disposing of dangerours and flammable chemicals through means recommended by their local fire department, and verifying that home appliances are fire-safe. In particular, we can also take a few minutes to test our home smoke detectors, clean them, and change their batteries.

Smoke detectors are a proven lifesaver. The few minutes spent by each American in ensuring the proper operation of smoke detectors can help avert many senseless tragedies. Most of the 6,000 Americans who succumb to fire each year fall victim in their homes. Children, senior citizens, families in substandard housing, and persons with disabilities are particularly vulnerable. Information on the proper methods for cleaning and testing smoke detectors may be obtained from local fire departments.

The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 177, has designated October 29, 1989, as "Fire Safety at Home -- Change Your Clock, and Change Your Battery Day" and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this occasion.

Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 29, 1989, as Fire Safety at Home Day, 1989. I call upon all Americans to observe this day by taking steps to ensure that their homes are safe from fire.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fourteenth.

GEORGE BUSH