ATLANTA, Ga. (WRBL)- Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King urges all residents to change their clocks and smoke alarm batteries this weekend.

Nov. 1 marks the end of Daylight Savings Time, and Commissioner King says smoke alarm batteries can be the difference between life and death.

“Smoke alarms save countless lives each year by warning when there might be a fire in your home, apartment, or office building,” said Commissioner King. “However, their life-saving impact goes away when the smoke
alarm runs out of batteries.”

The Commissioner says 55 of 58 fatal residential fires could have been prevented this year with a working smoke alarm.

King says that fire safety experts advise that smoke alarm batteries should be changed twice per year, and recommends changing them at the beginning and end of Daylight Savings Time.

The Commissioner encourages Georgians to test and clean dust from their smoke alarms monthly, in addition to being prepared and having a fire escape plan.

For more information on fire safety, contact the Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner’s office, U.S. Fire Administration, Ready, American Red Cross, or your local fire station.

Daylight Savings Time ends this Sunday, Nov. 1, at 2:00 a.m. All clocks will be set back one hour.