ATLANTA – Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King is urging all Georgians to change their smoke alarm batteries this weekend when they change their clocks to mark the beginning of Daylight Savings Time.

“Smoke alarms protect your lives and belongings by warning when there might be a fire in your home or place of work,” King said. “However, a smoke alarm’s life-saving impact goes away when it runs out of batteries. Fire safety experts advise that smoke alarm batteries should be changed twice per year, and the beginning of Daylight Savings Time is the perfect opportunity to replace the batteries in your smoke alarms.”

Smoke alarm batteries can be the difference between life and death for too many Georgians. According to the National Fire Protection Association, nearly three out of five home fire deaths occur in properties with no smoke alarms or smoke alarms that fail to operate.

King also encourages Georgians to test and clean dust from their smoke alarms monthly and to practice an escape plan in case their home is ever impacted by a fire.

Some smoke alarms — including ones installed by the Moultrie Fire Department during a multi-year outreach effort — contain lithium batteries designed to last five years or more. If your smoke alarm has this type of battery, check it regularly but do not replace it if it works and has been in use less than five years.

More information on fire safety can be obtained from the insurance commissioner’s office, the U.S. Fire Administration, the American Red Cross, or the Moultrie Fire Department (229-985-1805). 

Daylight Savings Time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 13, when all clocks are set forward one hour.