HARRISBURG – State Fire Commissioner Edward A. Mann wants Pennsylvanians to remember to change the batteries in their smoke alarms and to test the units when they turn their clocks back one hour this weekend.

“Autumn is a good time to make sure that your alarms are working properly because, as the weather gets colder, many people start using fireplaces and other supplemental sources of heat, which, if not used safely and correctly, present a potential fire hazard,” Mann said. “When you change your clocks in the fall and in the spring, smoke alarm batteries need to be replaced.”

When turning clocks back, homeowners should replace the batteries in each smoke alarm and test the alarm to ensure that it is working properly. Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of your home, especially inside each bedroom and near sleeping areas.

Mann said any smoke alarm more than 10 years old should be replaced, even if it seems to work properly. The useful life of a smoke detector is usually 10 years.

After making sure smoke alarms function properly, Mann said families should create and practice a home fire escape plan. Each member of the household should be able to identify more than one way to get out of the home and a meeting place away from the home, such as a neighbor’s porch or a telephone pole across the street, so that each person can be accounted for in an emergency.

Since January, 132 people have died in residential fires in Pennsylvania.

More information about fire prevention and safety is available online at www.ReadyPA.org. For more information about the Office of the State Fire Commissioner and the fire service in Pennsylvania, visit www.osfc.state.pa.us.