Daylight Saving Time Ends Sunday, Fall Back

Tough week, feel like you could use an extra hour of sleep? You’ll get it this weekend. That’s the good news.

The bad news is it’ll start getting dark by 5 p.m., on a good day!

Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday so don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour before you go to bed Saturday night to get that extra hour of sleep.

Sunday also marks the 24th anniversary of the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program, sponsored by Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs. The organizations offer twice yearly reminders to change and test the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

According to the National Fire Protection Associaiton, thirty-eight percent of fatal fire injuries occur in homes without working smoke alarms, while 24 percent occur in homes in which at least one smoke alarm is present but fails to operate.

“Each year, thousands of lives are forever changed due to the devastating effects of a home fire,” said Chief Al H. Gillespie, president and chairman of the board of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. “A working smoke alarm is an important defense for surviving a home fire. That’s why public information and education efforts being undertaken by fire departments with the support of Energizer is a vital component to keeping communities across the nation safe and sound."

About one-third of installed smoke detectors are not working, often because of a dead battery. Home fires kill 500 children ages 14 and younger each year, experts say, and the majority of those occur in homes without working smoke alarms.

Whether you set your clocks back an hour on Saturday evening or Sunday morning, it's a great time to check your smoke detectors and test their batteries, according to . 

“The general rule of thumb is smoke detectors on each level of the home and in each bedroom as well as in the hallway outside of the bedrooms,” said David Weed, community service officer for the fire district. “Since the job of a smoke detector is to alert you to smoke especially if you are sleeping, they are important to have anywhere someone is sleeping in the home.”