Daylight Saving Time Ends November 1: Michigan Fire Officials Urge Residents to Test Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms When the Clocks Go Back
Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, when clocks go back one hour. Michigan's Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) issued a reminder on October 29: when residents change their clocks, they should also test the smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms in their homes.
The department said Michigan has recorded more than 14,500 structure fires this year, including 8,118 residential fires, and that as of October 9 the state had seen 63 fire deaths in 55 fatal incidents.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), nearly three out of five home fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms or with alarms that do not work, while working smoke alarms significantly cut the risk of dying in a home fire.
Fire officials advise installing smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home including the basement; testing them monthly; replacing smoke alarms every 10 years; and replacing carbon monoxide alarms according to the manufacturer's instructions, generally every 5 to 10 years.
LARA Director Marlon I. Brown and State Fire Marshal Tom Hughes said the clock change is a built-in reminder to check alarms, and that a few minutes of testing can save a family's lives if a fire starts.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 家用烟雾报警器（资料图）。CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / A home smoke alarm (file photo). CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
