Spring Forward, Change Batteries This Weekend

Daylight Saving Time begins this weekend, and officials are urging residents to change the batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors when they spring forward.

The time change will take place at 2 a.m. Sunday.

“Saturday evening before you go to bed, just remember to change your batteries before you set your clock time,” a Tampa Fire Rescue press release states. “This message is simple and the habit can be lifesaving.”

Smoke alarms save lives, according to the release, and the most commonly cited cause of non-working alarms is worn or missing batteries.

“Eighty percent of child fire fatalities occur in homes without working smoke alarms,” said Tampa Fire Rescue Chief Tom Forward in the release. “It’s a tragic statistic that could be reduced by adopting the simple habit of changing your batteries when you change your clocks.”

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Changing smoke alarm batteries at least once a year or more, testing those alarms and reminding others to do the same are some of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce these tragic deaths and injuries, according to the release.

Additionally, Tampa Fire Rescue recommends that smoke alarms in homes be replaced every 10 years and to have both ionization and photo electric smoke alarms to alert people to all types of home fires, the release states.