Spring Forward! Change Your Clocks, Change Your Smoke Alarm Batteries This Weekend

This Sunday marks the start of Daylight Savings Time, so before you head to bed on March 7, be sure to spring forward by setting all clocks one hour ahead. Our local fire departments, in Big Bear City, Fawnskin and Big Bear Lake, also remind that this is a good time to not just change the clocks, but change the batteries in all smoke detectors. According to the Big Bear City Fire Department, working smoke detectors can decrease the risk of dying in a home fire by nearly 50% as they provide early warning and critical extra seconds to escape in emergency. Although 82% of homes in the U.S. have smoke detectors, it is estimated that nearly 1/3 of these do not work, simply due to worn or missing batteries. Fire departments also recommend that you replace smoke detector batteries once a year or when the alarm chirps, signaling a low battery; test smoke detectors monthly; develop a fire evacuation plan, including at least two escape routes, and conduct regular evacuation drills; have fire extinguishers installed in or near the kitchen; and, lastly, perform a fire prevention house-cleaning to eliminate fire hazards.