Daylight saving time coming to an end this weekend

The Charlottesville Fire Department and the Virginia Department of Fire Programs say changing the clocks is the best time to also change those batteries and protect homes and lives.

You should also check the age of your alarm.

It is recommend families practice their escape plan by holding regular fire drills. When replacing your smoke alarms the Fire Department suggests purchasing alarms with 10-year lithium batteries.

John Paul is the president of Western Iowa Mutual Insurance, who sponsors a 9-volt battery and smoke detector promotion on the KMA airwaves each year. Working with volunteers and partner organizations, the Red Cross plans to install 100,000 free smoke alarms across more than 100 major cities during this two-and-a-half-week period.

“At the time change, make sure you check your batteries, make sure your smoke alarms are working because it can save your life”, urges Rice.

Have an alarm outside every sleeping area and inside every bedroom. A code stamped on the back of a detector should indicate the manufacture date.

Look for “ionization” or “photoelectric” or “photo-ion” on the back label of each alarm.

· Make sure everyone in the home recognizes the sound of the smoke alarm and knows how to respond. Most of these fatalities have occurred in homes without working alarms. Never take the battery out of the alarm. If the alarm chirps on these units, warning that the battery is low, replace the entire smoke alarm right away. Carbon monoxide alarms are created to alarm before potentially life-threatening levels of carbon monoxide are released.