When you change your clocks on Sunday back to standard time, it’s a good time to change the batteries in your smoke alarm as well.

The National Fire Protection Association is among the agencies that recommends this simple rule: change your clocks, and change your batteries.

Smoke alarms do save lives … but only if they are working.

The NFPA also recommends replacing smoke alarms when they are 10 years old. The date of manufacture is supposed to be printed on the back of each detector.

A report issued last year by NFPA states that almost three out of five home fire deaths happened in homes with no smoke alarms, or no working smoke alarms.

NFPA recommends installing the alarms in every sleeping room of the house, on every level of the home, and outside separate sleeping areas. Special alarms are available for people hard of hearing.

If all these recommendations are followed, there is one more that must be observed: when a smoke alarm sounds, get outside and stay outsid...