Remember to change batteries, clocks Sunday

Public safety officials would like to remind residents that Sunday, when clocks are set back an hour, is a good time to change the batteries in your smoke alarm.

Smoke alarms save hundreds of lives every year through simply alerting families and giving them time to escape. A majority of home and apartment fires happen between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., when most people are sleeping, making early detection key for your safety, officials said.

Maintaining a smoke alarm is just as important as having one. The batteries should be changed at least once a year and not borrowed from other home devices.

Officials urge residents to change their batteries Sunday and then again in the spring when the clocks spring forward. For more information on fire safety, call the Newport Beach Fire Department at (949) 644-3104.

— Joseph Serna