The Las Cruces police and fire departments encourage homeowners and tenants to check smoke alarms and install new batteries this weekend when daylight saving time ends and clocks are adjusted to ‘fall back’ one hour.
Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, and Las Cruces first responders urge residents to install fresh batteries in their smoke alarms when clocks are set back one hour to standard time. Most people tend to adjust their clocks before bedtime on Saturday evening.
Homeowners should also test smoke alarms to ensure they are in proper working order. To test the operation of a smoke alarm, simply press and hold the alarm’s “test” button. If it beeps, or rings loudly, it is working properly.
Smoke alarms should not be tested by lighting a candle or matches under the detector. Repeated use of heat or smoke to activate the device can cause them to malfunction when an actual fire occurs.
\n