Oregon State Fire Marshal Randy Simpson urges residents to check their smoke alarms when changing their clock to Daylight Savings Time Sunday, March 14th.

Smoke alarm laws in Oregon are different from most other states. Since 1999, law requires all ionization-only smoke alarms sold in the state to have a hush feature; and if an ionization-only smoke alarm is also solely battery-operated, it must also come with a 10-year lithium battery.

"Oregonians should first test their smoke alarm battery before automatically replacing it," says Oregon State Fire Marshal Randy Simpson. "Long-life lithium batteries have a life span of up to 10 years and if your alarm has one of these batteries, it may not need replacing every time you change your clock. However, if your smoke alarms are ten years old or older you should replace them entirely," says Simpson. "Also remember to test and vacuum your smoke alarm monthly."