Prioritize safety: Check smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors during daylight saving time

One of the mildest recorded winters in Upper Peninsula history appears to be coming to a close. This weekend we move our clocks ahead one hour for daylight saving time and while we may lose one hour of sleep on Sunday, there is something we can do to help prevent losing much more. Last year 125 people died in fires in Michigan homes. Only 28 percent of those homes had working smoke detectors. When changing your clocks this weekend please also check your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors to ensure they are working properly. Marlon I. Brown, Director of Michigan Licensing and Regulatory Affairs stated, “You have less than 2 minutes to escape when a fire starts and every second counts. Smoke alarms provide the early warning you and your loved ones need to be able to evacuate quickly and smoke alarms increase your chance of surviving a house fire.”