CIS Insurance Agency is a proud carrier/provider of ASI insurance. Each year ASI conducts a project in which they mail each of their policyholders a new 9 volt battery for their smoke detectors.

This vast undertaking sees us mail over 1 million 9-volt batteries to our policyholders in an effort to remind them to keep their smoke detectors functioning properly.

Every year since its inception in 1997, ASI has sent batteries to policyholders with this goal in mind. According to the National Fire Protection Association, 3 out of 5 home fire deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms. It is our hope that these batteries help reduce the number of homes falling into this category.

“ASI can repair your home, but we can’t replace you or your loved ones,” said John Auer, ASI’s president and CEO, about the importance of having a working smoke detector.

Having a working smoke alarm is crucial to surviving a residential fire. The NFPA says the risk of dying in a home structure fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms. Both the NFPA and the U.S. Fire Administration say that smoke detectors should be “installed inside every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement.”

For those who own smoke alarms powered by a 9-volt battery, the USFA offers the following maintenance guidelines:

• Test each alarm monthly.
• Replace batteries at least once a year.
• The entire smoke detector unit should be replaced every 10 years.

The batteries ASI sends also come with a safety reminder asking policyholders to perform the simple task of updating the smoke detector batteries, and, new this year, an offer for a Roost Smart Battery. The smart battery can notify a policyholder via their smartphone in the event a smoke alarm sounds. Visit www.getroost.com to learn more about its smart battery.

The mailing and packaging of the ASI-provided 9-volt batteries takes some time. Depending on where policyholders live, it may be a short period before they receive the batteries.

To learn more about the campaign, go to www.ASIcares.com.