Daylight Saving Time ends tonight and we gain an hour of sleep. The official changeover occurs at 2 a-m, but most people set their clocks and whatever else back an hour before going to bed.
Those who forget the adage “spring forward, fall back” will be an hour early for church, work or other events tomorrow morning.
Deputy Nebraska State Fire Marshall Pat Gould of Chadron says it’s also a good time to change batteries in smoke detectors.
Gould’s a firm believer that trying to save a few cents by not replacing batteries every spring and fall could prove to be fatally penny wise and pound foolish.
Gould says the recommendation for replacing smoke detectors after 10 years is that they tend to start wearing out about then.
Statistics show almost 1 out of every 5 smoke alarms in an American home doesn’t work, often because of dead batteries, and the death rate in those homes is about a third higher than in homes without a smoke detector at all.
Gould says one reason smoke alarms are lifesavers is that most home fatalities occur when people are asleep, between 10 pm and 6 am.
Statistics also show that the death rate per 100 reported home fires is more than twice as high in homes that did not have any working smoke alarms.
Gould also says as long as you’re changing clocks and smoke detector batteries, you might as well check other fire safety-related items and have the entire family review their fire response plan.