Merrimac fire officials urge alarm checks as clocks fall back

The Merrimac Fire Department announced Oct. 29 that daylight saving time ends Sunday, Nov. 1, when clocks fall back one hour at 2 a.m. Fire officials are using the time change to remind residents to test their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and change batteries if needed.

The department said properly installed, functioning and maintained smoke and carbon monoxide alarms provide an early warning of danger and give residents time to get outside in an emergency.

The National Fire Protection Association reported that in 2024, about four in five fire-related deaths occurred in homes without working fire alarms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that each year more than 400 people in the U.S. die from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning unrelated to fires, more than 100,000 visit emergency rooms and more than 14,000 are hospitalized because of it.

Source: Merrimac Fire Department announcement, October 29, 2026.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the original announcement.