City of Norfolk Fire Marshal, Sean Lindgren, offers an easy way to remember when to change the batteries in your smoke alarm: “Change your clocks, change your batteries!”

The Norfolk Fire Division wishes to remind everyone that on Sunday, November 5th, we set our clocks back one hour as we transition to standard time. This weekend presents an excellent opportunity to change the batteries in all your smoke alarms.

Smoke alarms serve as your first line of defense in alerting you to a fire in your home. Waiting for them to beep before changing the batteries may result in unreliable functionality. Even if your smoke alarms are powered by your house wiring system, the backup battery still requires regular replacement.

Identify the age of your smoke alarms – typically indicated by a date stamped on the back of the detectors. If they're older than 10 years in service, it’s necessary to replace the entire alarm.

Moreover, smoke alarms in Norfolk must be interconnected in compliance with the city code to ensure the safety of residents. Upon a change of ownership or tenant, the interconnection of smoke alarms in dwellings must be verified. Interconnected alarms are already mandated in new buildings and after significant remodeling, property owners are obliged to provide alarms within residential buildings. At a minimum, there should be one smoke alarm on each level, one in the vicinity of any bedroom, and one in each bedroom.

This weekend serves as an ideal time to practice your fire escape plan with all household members. This message is presented by the Norfolk Fire Division.