Set that clock, change that battery

(Bill Greene/Globe Staff)

Peter Shugrue, an employee at Electric Time Co., inspected an 84-inch Wegman clock Friday before its shipment to Virginia.

By Jillian Jorgensen, Globe Correspondent

When Massachusetts residents turn their clocks back tonight with the end of daylight saving time, State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan is hoping they will also change the batteries in their smoke detectors.

"The peak time for home fire fatalities is between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. when most families are sleeping," Coan said in a statement. Keeping the batteries in smoke alarms up to date is an effective and easy way to reduce fire deaths, he said. Twice a year, when clocks are switched forward and then back, people should change those batteries, he said.

If a smoke alarm is 10 years old or older, it should be replaced, Coan said. Carbon monoxide detectors should be replaced after five to seven years.

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