Change your smoke alarm batteries when you "spring forward" Published March 6, 2014 By National Fire Protection Association and Hanscom Fire Department HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- To kick off daylight-saving time, clocks "spring forward" at 2 a.m. Sunday morning. Before many people go to bed Saturday night, they'll change all of the clocks throughout their homes to reflect the time change. The National Fire Protection Association wants to remind everyone that this might also be a good time to change the batteries in all of your home's smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. To stay safe, replacing batteries in all smoke alarms should be done at least once a year, but changing them while changing all of your clocks serves as a great reminder. In addition, smoke alarms should be tested once a month and if an alarm "chirps," warning the battery is low, replace the battery right away. When you are finished changing the batteries in your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detectors, make sure you put the plastic clip on the used batteries or put a piece of electricians tape over the leads as this will help prevent a possible fire. Ensure you recycle the old batteries; don't just throw them in the trash. More fire safety tips are available on NFPA's webpage at http://www.nfpa.org/safety-information.