Time To Spring Forward, Freehold; Change Alarm Batteries, Too

FREEHOLD, NJ -- Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday morning, so as you head to bed tonight, it's time to push your clocks ahead one hour.

Fire officials say this also is the perfect time to check and replace the batteries in your home's smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector.

The International Association of Fire Fighters reminds residents that two-thirds of the fatalities in residential fires occur because the home lacked working smoke detectors.

Smoke detectors should be installed in every bedroom and on every level of your home, fire officials say.

Carbon monoxide detectors should be installed near where you sleep, where it can wake you if you are asleep, according to the website HomeSafe.com. Do not install them directly above or beside fuel-burning appliances, within 15 feet of heating or cooking appliances or in or near very humid areas such as bathrooms.

"Additional detectors on every level and in every bedroom of a home provides extra protection against carbon monoxide poisoning," the site notes.