ASK A LOCAL

Q: I know the clocks go back this weekend. Is there anything else I should be doing while I’m up on the step stool?

Yes, and it takes about ten minutes. First, the when: daylight saving time ends Sunday, November 1, at 2 a.m., when the clock goes back to 1 a.m. and that hour repeats, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Set the clocks that don’t change themselves, like the stove and the car, before bed Saturday.

Next, test every smoke alarm. Press the test button on each one. The U.S. Fire Administration says to test them monthly; an alarm with a dead or missing battery is the same as no alarm at all. By type:

9-volt battery: replace the battery at least once a year, and replace the whole alarm every 10 years. Sealed 10-year battery: there is nothing to change; replace the whole unit when the manufacturer says to. Hardwired: replace the backup battery at least once a year.

Check how old it is. The Fire Administration says smoke alarms need replacing 10 years from the manufacture date.

If you are buying a new one, New York has a rule. Since April 1, 2019, new or replacement smoke alarms sold in the state must have a sealed, non-removable 10-year battery or be hard-wired, says the NYS Department of State. You do not have to rip out a working older alarm that was installed to code.

Count them. The Fire Administration wants alarms inside and outside each bedroom and on every level, basement included, ideally interconnected so when one sounds they all do.

Do the carbon-monoxide alarm too. The National Fire Protection Association says to put CO alarms outside each sleeping area and on every level, and to test them at least once a month. If one goes off, get everyone out to fresh air, count heads, and call for help from outside. Two more of its rules for the heating season: a generator runs at least 20 feet from doors, windows and vents and never in an attached garage, and the oven is for cooking, never for heating the house.

Then think about the ride home. On Monday it will be dark an hour earlier by the clock, right around the evening commute. NHTSA counted 7,080 pedestrians killed nationwide in 2024. Drivers: slow down, take extra care at night when people on foot are harder to see, and never pass a car stopped at a crosswalk. Walkers: where there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic, and cross at corners or a well-lit spot. Children under 10, NHTSA says, should not cross alone.

Not sure what your house needs? The Fire Administration says to ask your local fire marshal, and that some fire departments will install battery alarms at no cost, so call your department’s non-emergency number. The Town of Babylon Fire Marshal’s Office is at the Town Hall Annex, 281 Phelps Lane, North Babylon, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at (631) 893-2153. It works with the Town’s 11 fire departments.

Got a question about living in the Town of Babylon? Send it to us and we will chase the answer down.

Sources: NIST, “Daylight Saving Time Rules” · U.S. Fire Administration, “Smoke Alarms” · NYS Department of State, “New Residential Smoke Alarm Sales Requirements Go into Effect April 1,” March 29, 2019 · NFPA, “Carbon Monoxide” · NHTSA, “Pedestrian Safety” · Town of Babylon, Fire Marshal’s Office FAQ

Photo: Yosuke Ota / Unsplash. Stock photo.