Time falls back one hour; time to change batteries too

It’s again time to fall back in time by one hour with the ending of Daylight Saving Time this weekend.

The time change officially occurs at 2 a.m. Sunday.

A popular saying also reminds us to always “spring forward” when DST begins on the second Sunday in March and “fall back” when it ends on the first Sunday in November.

The National Fire Protection Association recommends that residents replace batteries in their smoke detectors when they switch to and from DST. According to the association, 60% of home fire deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms, also noting:

  • When smoke alarms were present in reported fires considered large enough to activate them, they operated in 89% of the fires, 73% of the deaths and 82% of the injuries.
  • The risk of dying in reported home structure fires is 55% lower in homes with working smoke alarms than in homes with no alarms or none that worked.
  • When present, hardwired smoke alarms operated in 94% of the fires considered large enough to trigger a smoke alarm. Battery-powered alarms operated 82% of the time. Power source issues were the most common factors when smoke alarms failed to operate.

Daylight Saving Time springs forward at 2 a.m. March 13, 2022.

Department:
County Manager's Office
Category:
News