Along with moving your clocks ahead one hour this weekend, it is a good time to check your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday.

The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal reminds residents to test, inspect, and replace broken or expired smoke/CO alarms in their homes.

“A functioning smoke alarm gives you and your family the early warning needed to escape safely in the event of a fire. While you’re at it, take some time to review and practice your family’s fire escape plan,” State Fire Marshal Michele Pankow said in a news release.

The time change serves as a bi-annual reminder to test all smoke and CO alarms in your home. If you find an alarm that is not working or is expired, replace the alarm immediately with a new 10-year sealed battery alarm, the fire marshal’s office said.

It is also a good weekend to review your fire-escape plan with your family and hold a drill to practice your plan.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that nearly three out of five (59%) home fire deaths in the U.S. occur in homes with no smoke alarms or smoke alarms that failed to operate, the release said.

More than two out of five (43%) of home fire deaths result from fires in homes with no smoke alarms present. Homes with working smoke alarms experience a death rate about 60% lower than homes with no alarms or no working alarms, the release said.

According to statistics from the Be Alarmed! Smoke Alarm Installation Program, in 2025, 68% of pre-existing smoke alarms in homes that received new 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms from the Be Alarmed! Program were non-functional or were expired, the release said.

The “Be Alarmed!” program in 2025 provided more than 3,200 Illinois homes and 7,800 residents are now protected by new smoke alarms and were educated about the importance of having a fire safety plan, the release said.

Nearly 50,000 smoke alarms worth nearly $1.5 million dollars of life-saving fire safety devices have been distributed to Illinois fire departments since 2018 when the Be Alarmed! Smoke Alarm Installation Program began, the release said.

“Be Alarmed!” is a fire safety education and smoke alarm installation program administered cooperatively between Camp I Am Me and the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal. “The “Be Alarmed!” program is aimed at creating fire-safe communities.

For more information on the “Be Alarmed!” program visit the website.