Residents should do more than simply set their clocks back one hour when daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 6.
The Hinsdale Fire Department and the International Association of Fire Chiefs encourage residents to use the extra hour they “gain” to change the batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, test the alarms and remind family members, friends and neighbors to do the same.
Smoke alarm maintenance is a simple, effective way to reduce home fire deaths.
Children and senior citizens are most at risk, and a working smoke alarm can give them the extra seconds they need to get out safely. A working smoke detector doubles a person’s chance of surviving a home fire.