There’s one more thing to do before going to bed Saturday night or early Sunday morning — don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour as Daylight Saving Time comes to an end.
That will give you an extra hour of sleep this weekend, even though it will mean most people will be driving in darkness for evening rush hour during the coming winter months.
California and most other states will “fall back” that hour at 2 a.m. Sunday, as the state returns to Pacific Standard Time.
You can use the time change as a safety reminder, replacing all the batteries in your emergency home equipment.
Fire officials said you should replace batteries for smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, as well as emergency flashlights. The battery-changing ritual should include checking that devices have not passed an expiration date, and clearing dust from slots or sensors.
Fire officials recommend a smoke alarm with good batteries in all sleeping areas, one outside each bedroom and on each level of a home.
Alarms should be mounted high on walls, four inches to a foot away from the ceiling, or on ceilings, at least four inches from the nearest wall. On pitched ceilings, they should be installed at least four inches from the highest point.
Smoke detectors should not be kept near windows, doors or ducts where drafts could interfere with their operation, officials said.
Smoke alarms have a life span of about 10 years and have the date stamped on the back, fire officials said.
— City News Service