‘Spring Ahead’ Sunday with Properly Working Smoke Alarms

The Las Cruces Fire Department encourages homeowners and renters to install new batteries in all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when they ‘spring ahead’ one hour on Sunday.

Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 9, and continues until Nov. 2, 2025. Most people tend to adjust their clocks on Saturday evening before going to bed.

Las Cruces fire encourages the installation of new batteries – and manually testing all smoke and carbon monoxide alarms – at least twice a year. The first and last day of daylight saving time serve as good reminders to test and replace batteries.

To check the operation of a smoke detector, simply press and hold the alarm’s “test” button. If it beeps, or rings loudly, it is working properly. Consumers should avoid testing a detector by using candles or matches placed under the alarm as repeated use of smoke to activate the device can cause them to fail when an actual fire occurs.