Daylight saving time ends next weekend. At 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, clocks in East Haven and across the country fall back one hour to 1 a.m. You get an extra hour of sleep Saturday night, and the sun starts setting before 5 p.m.
Phones and computers change on their own. The oven, the microwave, many car dashboards and the clock on the bedroom wall do not. And fire officials have long suggested using the time change as a reminder for a two-minute job that matters more: testing the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in your home.
That reminder hits close to home this year. On Thursday, Oct. 22, a man died in a Salvatore Drive home where East Haven firefighters measured carbon monoxide above 500 parts per million. Investigators traced the gas to a water heater that appeared to have been improperly installed, and found a carbon monoxide alarm in the house with no battery in it.
“We urge every resident to make sure their carbon monoxide alarms are installed, functioning properly, and equipped with working batteries. These simple precautions can save lives,” Fire Chief Matt Marcarelli said in the department’s release.
What the time change means for East Haven
Halloween falls the night before the change. On Saturday, Oct. 31, the sun sets in East Haven at about 5:47 p.m., so trick-or-treaters will be out in the dark for most of the evening.
Then the evenings drop off quickly:
- Sunday, Nov. 1: sunrise about 6:23 a.m., sunset about 4:46 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 7: sunset about 4:39 p.m.
- Monday, Nov. 30: sunset about 4:23 p.m.
- Around Dec. 7: the earliest sunset of the year, about 4:21 p.m.
- Monday, Dec. 21 (winter solstice): sunrise about 7:14 a.m., sunset about 4:25 p.m.
Times are estimates for East Haven, calculated from the town’s latitude and longitude, and can vary by a minute or so.
That earlier dark matters on the roads. The evening commute on Route 1, Route 80 and Route 100 will be in twilight or darkness starting Monday, Nov. 2. Drivers should watch for walkers and kids getting off school activities, and walkers should wear something bright or carry a light.
Your two-minute alarm check
These tips come from the National Fire Protection Association’s smoke alarm and carbon monoxide safety pages:
- Push the test button. NFPA says to test smoke alarms at least once a month, and carbon monoxide alarms at least once a month too.
- Listen for the chirp. A single chirp every 30 or 60 seconds means a smoke alarm’s battery is low and must be changed.
- Check the date on the back. Smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years. Replace CO alarms according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Make sure you have enough. Smoke alarms belong in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, on every level of the home and in the basement. CO alarms belong in a central spot outside each sleeping area and on every level.
- Know the two sounds. A smoke alarm’s steady beeps mean get out, call 911 and stay out. If a CO alarm sounds, get everyone outside to fresh air right away and call 911 from outside.
- Get fuel-burning appliances checked. East Haven’s fire department says water heaters, furnaces and other gas or oil appliances should be properly installed and serviced. Heating season is a good time to book that.
Carbon monoxide has no color or smell. Headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, confusion and sleepiness can be signs of poisoning.
Need help?
If you are not sure your alarms work or where they should go, call the East Haven Fire Department’s non-emergency line and ask about smoke and CO alarms. In an emergency, always call 911.
And when you set the oven clock back next Sunday, push the test buttons too.
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