Daylight Saving Ends Sunday; Time to Check Smoke Detectors!

Those 7:30 a.m. commutes are about to get a little brighter. Daylight Saving Time officially ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 4. And the Kirkland Fire Department wants to remind you that when you re-set your clocks, it's a great time to check your smoke detectors.

Remember, you'll "fall back" by setting your clocks back one hour. Many electronic devices automatically adjust when Daylight Saving Time begins or ends.

Arizona, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa do not observe Daylight Saving Time. Daylight Saving Time begins again on March 10, 2013.

Meantime, the long standing message “Change Your Clock; Change Your Battery” is being spread in communities throughout the United States. The Kirkland Fire Department seeks to extend that message to testing smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Many models have longer lasting batteries that may not need to be replaced each year. Testing detectors typically involves pressing the test button on the device.

The International Association of Fire Chiefs recommends that smoke alarms in homes should be replaced every 10 years and having both ionization and photo electric smoke alarms is the best way to alert people to all types of home fires. 

Also, effective January 1, 2013, existing homes, apartments, condominiums, and other multi-family units in Washington State must be equipped with carbon monoxide alarms. For more information on the new requirements, go to www.kirklandwa.gov/fire.

At any rate, what will you do with the extra hour you'll gain on Sunday, sleep in? Tell us in the comments!