Daylight Saving Time Begins This Weekend

Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 11, so clocks are set forward one hour.

Daylight saving time ends Nov. 4 this year.

With the "spring ahead" comes a reminder from Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department about the importance of working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors in the home.

“The presence of working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in the home can mean the difference between life and death. I urge residents to use the beginning and ending of daylight savings time as a reminder to check your smoke alarms carbon monoxide detectors and replace faulty or broken ones. Always replace the batteries in each alarm on every floor of the home and test them to ensure they are in working order,” said Riverside County Fire Chief, John R. Hawkins.

According to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA):

· Smoke alarms cut the risk of fatality in a home fire by one-half.

· Overall, three-quarters of all U.S. homes have at least one working smoke alarm.

· Each year, nearly 3,000 people die in U.S. home fires.

Riverside County Fire Department offers the following tips to ensure the safety of your family and home:

· Test alarms once a month.

· Replace batteries in all smoke alarms and CO detectors twice a year.

· Don’t “borrow” or remove batteries from smoke alarms & CO detectors…even temporarily.

· Regularly vacuum or dust smoke alarms & CO detectors to keep them working properly.

· Replace smoke alarms every 10 years.

· Don’t paint over smoke or CO alarms.

· Practice family fire drills so everyone knows what to do if the smoke alarm goes off.

For more information on life-safety and home fire prevention tips, visit www.rvcfire.org.