Daylight Saving Time Also Means Time To Check Smoke Alarms

CHICAGO (CBS) -- When you turn your clocks back for the end of daylight saving time on Sunday, you also should spend a few short minutes changing the batteries on your smoke alarms.

Whether you live in a house, condo or apartment, fire officials say it's all the same when it comes to smoke alarms – use the twice-annual time change for daylight saving time to make sure your alarms work.

Like a reminder string placed on one's finger, the time change is an opportunity to remember to change the batteries on your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

Firefighters cite worn or missing batteries as the most common cause of non-working smoke detectors leading to injuries and fatalities in residential fires.

Firefighters also advise homeowners to replace smoke alarms every ten years.