The second Sunday in March will trigger Daylight Saving Time, when we “spring ahead” and set our clocks one hour later.

That’s also the best day to change the batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors — even if the batteries aren’t dead.

If you don’t have fire alarms and CO detectors, your family is at risk. The alarms will loudly warn you if smoke or gas is present in your home — so you can get out.

Carbon monoxide is a clear, odorless gas that is deadly but hard to detect. If you don’t have an alarm, it’s unlikely you will know if your home has a CO leak. 

Carbon monoxide doesn’t come just from cars. Your gas furnace or stove is a potential source of the gas. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers these tips for poison prevention:

• Keep gas appliances properly adjusted.
• Use electric space heaters, not gas space heaters.
• Install an exhaust fan, vented to the outdoors, over a gas stove.
• Open flues when wood-burning fireplaces are in use. 
• Choose properly sized wood stoves with tight-fitting doors that are certified to meet EPA emission standards. 
• Have a trained professional inspect, clean and tune up your central heating system —including furnaces, flues and chimneys — annually. Repair leaks promptly. 
• Do not idle your car inside the garage.