With the move to daylight saving time this past weekend, the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs reminds residents it’s also a good time to ensure they have properly working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in their homes.

Working smoke alarms are imperative, especially for elderly and aging in place family members. As of March 1, 25 people have died in 22 fires in Michigan, with 15 of those 22 homes not having working smoke alarms, according to a LARA news release.

Residents are also encouraged to talk to their families about “Get out and Stay out” methods, as well as not fighting the fires themselves.

“It can take as little as two minutes for your home to be engulfed in smoke and flames,” LARA Director Marlon I. Brown said in the news release. “Working smoke alarms provide life-saving early warnings to notify you and your family to evacuate.”

MI Prevention, a statewide program through LARA that works to reduce fire fatalities, reported these trends in residential fires in Michigan within the past five years:

— Those living alone and age 40 to 80 have an 80% chance of having a house fire;

— Those without working smoke alarms have a 63% chance of not escaping from a residential fire;

— Those who are disabled or mobility challenged are 50% more likely to not escape a house fire;

— Those who smoke while falling asleep in the bedroom or living room are 39% more likely to have a house fire.

To help prevent fatal fires, LARA recommends that residents:

— Test smoke alarms monthly using the test button;

— Replace 9-volt smoke alarms with alarms that have a 10-year lithium battery;

— Install a smoke alarm in every bedroom or sleeping area and one on every level of the home, including the basement;

— Install a carbon monoxide detector on every level of your home;

— For added protection, consider an interconnected smoke alarm system so all the smoke alarms go off at once;

— Replace all smoke alarms in the household every 10 years, or even sooner if they do not respond appropriately when tested; and

— For those who are deaf or hard of hearing, equip homes with alert devices such as high-intensity strobe lights and vibration devices, such as bed shakers activated by the sound of a standard smoke alarm.

LARA encourages contacting the local fire department for more information on smoke alarm installations.

More fire behavior education materials are available on The MI Prevention website at https://www.michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/bfs/miprevention.

Any other questions can be directed to LARA-MIPrevention@michigan.gov.