Daylight savings time will begin Sunday, and area emergency management agencies are asking residents to make changes to more than just their household clocks.
The time change officially occurs at 2:00 a.m. when clocks will move ahead by one hour. Emergency Managers from Indiana’s various counties are also advising that residents use the occasion to replace the batteries in their smoke detectors.
Marshall County Emergency Management Director Clyde Avery says the batteries serve as a back-up.
“They tend to go bad periodically so we encourage people to change them, and the best time of the year to do that is during the time change,” says Avery.
The same recommendation is made for daylight savings in the fall.
By not regularly changing the batteries, Avery says residents could be jeopardizing their safety. The devices are designed to alert you if there’s fire or smoke in your home.
Emergency alert radios are also recommended for battery changes during daylight savings time. Avery says access to information is important.
“Hopefully the radio will tell you the type of danger that may impact your area, and it will allow you hopefully ample time to take precautions and get to safety,” says Avery.
Those experiencing difficulty programming their emergency radios are asked to reach out to their emergency management departments.
