Daylight-saving time starts Sunday, March 9. The Estes Valley Fire Protection District reminds us to change and test the batteries in our smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors twice a year when we change our clocks. This simple act can be lifesaving. Approximately two-thirds of home fire deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms. Since most fatal fires occur at night, it's essential that every home has working smoke alarms to provide an early warning. Working smoke alarms increase the chance of surviving a home fire by 50 percent. In addition to changing your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector batteries this weekend, the Fire District recommends these additional steps to protect your life, your loved ones, and your home: Dust or vacuum smoke alarms when you change the batteries. Test alarms once a month using the test button. Replace the entire alarm if it's more than 10 years old or doesn't work properly when tested. Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement, and both inside and outside of sleeping areas. For the best protection, equip your home with a combination of ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms or dual sensor alarms. Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout your home so that when one sounds, they all sound. Make sure everyone in your home understands the warning of the smoke alarm and knows how to respond. Review your home escape plan and location of your family's meeting spot.