By Sam Borsato - @BorsatoSam on Twitter

Time Change the Perfect Opportunity to Think About Fire Safety

Mar 12, 2016 | 6:21 AM

LETHBRIDGE – While your turning your clocks ahead an hour for March 13, the City of Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services encourages you to check on your home smoke alarms.

City firefighters responded to 172 calls over 2015, where smoke alarms prompted people to leave their homes. Cooking and improperly disposing of smoking materials were the leading causes for those responses.

They say all residents should take the time to replace the batteries in their smoke alarms since they’re the best tool in surviving a fire.

It’s also suggested that you clean the detector to make sure it’s in good working order, replace any that are more than 10 years old, test your alarms monthly and make sure everyone in the house knows what it sounds like.