Daylight Saving Time will officially end at 2:00 am on Sunday, November 1st. Clocks are set back one hour and many people set their clocks to “fall back” before they go to bed the night before, in this case Saturday, October 31st.
When you change your clocks, the Yakima Fire Department (YFD) suggests also testing your smoke alarms and replacing the batteries if needed. Consult your smoke alarm’s instructions, as battery life can vary. That is particularly true with newer smoke alarms equipped with longer-life batteries.
In addition, smoke alarms that are 10 years old or older should be completely replaced. The date of manufacture should be indicated on the back of the smoke alarm.
“Working smoke alarms save lives by waking up or alerting people in the early and survivable stages of a fire,” said Yakima Fire Chief Aaron Markham. “Smoke alarms need to be in any room where people or family pets sleep. Plan your escape routes today and practice keeping your loved ones safe from fires in your home.”
YFD offers a free smoke alarm program for those who cannot afford to install working smoke alarms. Visit https://yakimafire.com/smoke-detector-request/ for more information on requesting a smoke alarm from YFD.
With Halloween and Dia de los Muertos coming up this weekend, YFD encourages the community to follow Yakima Health District COVID-19 guidelines to celebrate safely. The guidance is available at https://www.yakimacounty.us/ImageRepository/Document?documentId=26039