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Fall back this weekend: Roll back your clocks, check your smoke alarms

The Kirbyville Fire Department says it's important to check alarms around this time of year as people face the possibility of house fires due to home-heating methods

BEAUMONT, Texas — Most of the Unites States will “fall back” and enjoy an extra hour of sleep on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020 at 2 a.m. local time. With the shift, the day will be lighter earlier in the morning and darker earlier in the evening.

In addition to changing the time on many of your household appliances, first responders in Southeast Texas say fall back is “always a good time to check or change the batteries in your home smoke detectors and alarms.”

The Kirbyville Volunteer Fire Department posted on Facebook Saturday morning the importance of changing the clocks and checking alarms used in homes around this time of year.

“It is especially important to check these devices as this is the beginning of the winter season, where people are more apt to find themselves faced with a house fire due to the means and methods that they use to heat their homes,” the post said.

RELATED: What to know about standard time and daylight saving time

To better protect your home, the fire department advises that residents have more than one alarm and to follow the following recommendations for smoke detectors.

  • Install smoke alarms inside each bedroom
  • Install smoke alarms outside each sleeping area
  • Install smoke alarms on every level of the home, including the basement
  • Install alarms in the living room, den, family room or near the stairway to the upper level

In addition to checking smoke alarms, the fire department says it's also a good time to check carbon monoxide detectors.

Carbon monoxide detectors should be placed on a wall about 5 feet above the floor because the gas is "slightly lighter than air, and it may be found with warm, rising air," according to the department. The detector can be placed on a ceiling.

It is not recommended for people to place the detector close to or over a fireplace or flame-producing appliance as this may set off the detector.

Daylight saving time returns at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 14.

Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and most of Arizona don't observe daylight saving time.

Credit: TEGNA

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