HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — It’s almost time to “fall back!”

Daylight Saving Time concludes on Sunday, Nov. 5, at 2 a.m., but the great news is that we get an extra hour of sleep!

Don’t forget to adjust your non-smart devices clocks back by one hour before bed on Saturday night.

Officials say it’s also a good time to check your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm batteries.

“Saving your life can be as simple as changing your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector batteries at least twice a year, and any time you hear the “chirp” warning of a low battery,” said Battalion Chief Chris Cornwell, Suffolk Fire Marshal.

Here are some safety tips to keep you protected:

  • Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, in the hallways leading to the bedrooms, and on each level of your home.
  • Smoke alarms should be mounted on the ceiling 4 inches from the wall; wall mounts should be 4 to 12 inches from the ceiling. Do not install smoke alarms near draft areas.
  • Smoke alarms with non-replaceable, long-life batteries are designed to remain effective for up to 10 years. If the low-battery alarm chirps, replace the entire alarm immediately.
  • Test your smoke alarm every month by holding down the test button
  • For the best protection, equip your home with a combination of both ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms
  • Make sure everyone in your home understands the warning of the smoke alarm and knows how to respond.
  • Prepare and practice an escape plan so that you and your loved ones can get out of your home safely should there be a fire. Plan to meet in the front yard in a place where first responders can easily see you.

The Suffolk Public Library has recycle containers at all local branches to dispose of smoke alarm batteries safely. For more information on home fire safety, or to request assistance with checking smoke detectors and batteries, please contact the Suffolk Fire & Rescue Department at 757-514-4540, or email fireprevbureau@suffolkva.

AAA is also reminding drivers to stay alert as it gets darker earlier because of the end of Daylight Saving time. Research shows an estimated 16-21% of car crashes likely involve drowsy driving. The agency recommends you get at least seven hours of sleep before you drive.

WAVY’s KaMaria Braye spoke with some folks in Virginia Beach about the time change.

“I don’t like it. Because, you know, I’m a military guy like I get up 4 in the morning anyway. So, you know, push your time back further. Just makes it a longer day. So I bother to keep the way it is so your body can adjust,” said Bryan Jones.

Jones isn’t a fan of “falling back”; neither is Gwendolyn Epps White. “Now it seems it’s getting darker in the morning and darker in the afternoon. And so that will be difficult for people to see and focus and get the work done because they tried to see,” she said.

Earlier this year, Republican Virginia State Senators introduced a bill to make daylight saving year-round. But it was later voted down.

The U.S. Senate voted to make daylight saving time permanent. The bill stalled in the U.S. House, but the bill was reintroduced this past March.

Bryan Jones hopes the bill eventually passes. “I think it’s a great idea. We’ve passed the time of green saving times, when the farmers need extra hours you know, we get past that so it’s time to move on and just get back to some normal.”

Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.