Just because

it's time to "fall back" doesn't mean it's an excuse to fall

behind.

Especially

when it comes to the annual replacement of batteries in your smoke detector,

say representatives of the Fayetteville Fire Department and the Fayette

County Department of Fire and Emergency Services.

The time changes

Sunday, Oct. 29, and local emergency officials want to remind everyone

to change the batteries in their smoke detectors at the same time. It

is also recommended that smoke alarms be replaced every 10 years.

Sgt. Ashley

Strickland of the Fayetteville Fire Department said smoke alarms nearly

cut in half the risk of dying in a home fire.

"Working

smoke detectors provide an early warning and critical extra seconds to

escape," said Chief Jack Krakeel of the Fayette County Department

of Fire and Emergency Services. "This is particularly important for

those most at risk of dying in home fires, such as children and seniors."

An average

of three children a day die in home fires and 82 percent of those deaths

occur in homes without working smoke alarms, Strickland added.

It is estimated

that 20 percent of smoke alarms in American homes do not work because

of worn or missing batteries. Experts recommend a smoke alarm on each

level of a home, one inside each bedroom and one outside each sleeping

area.

Somewhere in

the United States, a home fire occurs approximately every 85 seconds.

The peak time

for home fire fatalities is between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. when most people

are asleep.

The smell of

smoke does not always awaken someone because the sense of smell decreases

when people are asleep, according to recent clinical experiments.