Set Your Clocks Back This Weekend
After this weekend it starts to get dark quickly in the afternoons.
This is the weekend we set our clocks back one hour before you go to bed on Saturday night. At the same time Yakima Fire Department firefighters and the Washington State Fire Marshal's Office urge you change or check the batteries in your smoke alarms.
According the National Fire Protection Association, working smoke alarms save lives, cutting the risk of dying in a home fire in half.
Specifically they say check the manufacture date stamped on the alarm. If it's more than 10-years-old it's time for a replacement. Smoke alarms with non-replaceable, 10-year batteries are available. For smoke alarms that have replaceable batteries, change the batteries on Saturday.
State officails remind landlords that rental housing must also have working smoke alarms.
Contact your landlord or property manager if your rental home does not have smoke alarms installed. Maintenance and testing smoke alarms is the responsibility of the tenant.