Check your batteries with your clocks

SA Fire services are reminding the community to change their smoke alarm batteries when they change their clocks this weekend.

Metropolitan Fire Service community engagement officer Ryan Baohm said changing smoke alarm batteries as daylight saving ends is an Australian tradition too important to ignore.

"Statistics show on average, more people die nationally in domestic house fires, than all the natural disasters like bushfires and flood per year," he said.

"Nearly half of all significant house fires in South Australia involve homes where smoke alarms had been disabled, or the batteries had gone flat.

"The majority of fatalities in house fires are caused by smoke inhalation.

"Getting an early warning from your smoke alarm is critical to your safety, changing smoke alarm batteries is the best way to give you and your family the earliest opportunity to evacuate safely.

"If you have elderly family or neighbours living alone, offer to help them out by fitting new batteries for them."

CFS executive director of operations Brett Loughlin said the early warning provided by smoke alarms can change house fire outcomes.

"Working smoke alarms save lives," he said.

"They allow you time to evacuate your home safely and call Triple Zero.

"This not only saves lives, it also provides firefighters an opportunity to respond earlier and minimise damage to your property.

"For the small cost of new batteries, you're investing in your family's safety and protecting your home."

For more information, visit www.mfs.sa.gov.au/community/residential-fire-safety.