Daylight Saving Ends Sunday: Change Your Clocks and Batteries

It's that time of the year again when clocks move back one hour for the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST). DST is observed in Washington state, which means time on Mercer Island "falls back" one hour this Sunday, November 6 at 2 a.m., to 1 a.m., local time.

Daylight Saving first began in the U.S. in 1918, and is thought to promote energy conservation.

The end of Daylight Saving usually occurs on the first Sunday in November, however, exact dates of the time change are sometimes subject to your location or politics.

Most of Arizona, the Hawaiian Islands and lands governed by the Navajo Nation in Arizona all observe DST year-round. And in 2007, the start and end dates were changed to study the effects of Daylight Saving on energy consumption. US Congress can change the dates back after the study is done.

The resumption of Daylight Saving Time will occur on March 11, 2012

Change Batteries in Smoke Alarms, Carbon Monoxide Detectors

According to the CDC, over 400 people die every year in the U.S. due to unintentional, non-fire related carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning — something that a fully charged CO detector in a home could likely reduce.

The same is true for smoke alarms. They most often fail because of missing, dead or disconnected batteries so maintenance is a simple, effective way to protect your family and reduce home fire deaths, according to the Washington State Fire Marshal's office. In fact, working smoke alarms nearly cut in half the risk of dying in a home fire. Warnings from smoke alarms can provide those critical extra seconds people need to get out of their homes safely.

In 2010 in Washington State, approximately 62 percent of fire deaths occurred in homes without working smoke alarms and the peak time for home fire fatalities is between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. when most families are sleeping.  Ensuring smoke alarms are operational is critical to life safety. Smoke alarms are designed to detect the presence of smoke and alert occupants to danger.

For more information about fire safety, please visit the State Fire Marshal website atwww.wsp.wa.gov/fire/firemars.htm.