HoCo Officials Offer 2 Tips for Daylight Saving

With daylight saving time in effect Sunday, the Howard County Office of Emergency Management issued the following message to residents: "Change your clocks. Change the batteries in your smoke alarms."

Step 1: Turn clocks ahead one hour. At 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 9, 2014, clocks move an hour ahead—or, as the saying goes, they "spring forward"—to begin daylight saving time 2014.

Step 2: Change smoke alarm batteries. First, check what type of battery it takes. Most have a 9-volt or 10-year lithium battery, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. If it's a 9-volt battery, replace the battery annually. If it's a 10-year lithium battery, replace the entire smoke alarm. If the alarm is hardwired into the electrical system, replace the backup battery annually.