Daylight-saving time starts Sunday and the state fire commissioner is reminding people to change their batteries when they turn their clocks forward one hour.
“Keeping your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in good working order is one of the easiest ways to keep your loved ones safe. Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half, and worn or missing batteries are the most common cause of some alarm or carbon monoxide detector malfunction,” state Fire Commissioner Tim Solobay said in a statement.
Having a carbon monoxide detector can save your life by alerting you to the odorless, colorless and tasteless gas that occurs when combustible materials are not fully burned.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said about 170 people die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning. Symptoms include headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, confusion and dizziness.
At 2 a.m. Sunday clocks should be turned forward one hour, making it actually 3 a.m. This means you lose an hour of sleep but it will not get dark until later in the evening.
The website www.timeanddate.com provides a history of different times when daylight saving time was instituted. In the United States, the website says the following: “Fast Time” as it was called then, was first introduced in 1918 when President Woodrow Wilson signed it into law to support the war effort during World War I. The initiative was sparked by Robert Garland, a Pittsburgh industrialist who had encountered the idea in the UK. Today, he is often called the “Father of Daylight Saving.” Only seven months later the seasonal time change was repealed. However, some cities, including Pittsburgh, Boston and New York, continued to use it until President Franklin D. Roosevelt instituted year-round DST in the United States in 1942.
Pottsville Fire Chief Todd March said Friday it is also a good idea to check and replace your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detectors when you change your clock. Newer some smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors have long lasting batteries that need to be changed about every 10 years. The batteries should be tested monthly to make sure they work, he said. For those who have older life-saving devices, it is wise to check them, he said. He said the batteries are not expensive and can help save your life.
“It’s the best and cheapest insurance you can get,” March said.