Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, and Altona Fire Chief Greg Zimmerman likes to use this event as a reminder to check your smoke alarm.

"It's time to turn our clocks back and this one of the times that we always recommend that you pick to change the battery in your smoke detector," said Zimmerman.

He also recommends vacuuming out the dust from your smoke detector while it is open.

"Then I would replace the battery and I would use the test button that they all have and push it and make sure that it's functioning," he added.

"I would also recommend that people look at the year of manufacture in their smoke detector because every 10 years you should change your whole smoke detector."

Now that snow is on the ground and temperatures are lower, Zimmerman has a few winter related fire safety tips.

"Make sure you get your furnaces serviced, " he said. "If you have a wood heater clean out your chimney, make sure they're nice and clean before you start burning, and before we get too much snow on the roof and it's too difficult to get there."

Zimmerman also wants to remind residents to check their carbon monoxide detector, noting they are only built to last 5 years.

He adds people should open their garage door before starting their vehicle, and not to idle the car in the garage.

When it comes to fire safety in the home, Zimmerman notes it's important to make sure your fire escape routes will work in the winter time.

"If getting out of your house the second way out is through a window, please ensure that the windows don't freeze shut," he said.

"Contrary to popular belief, breaking a window and climbing out that way is rather difficult and a little more dangerous," he added.

The colder weather has also caused roads in the area to become icy, and Zimmerman wants to remind people to drive with caution. He noted the department has responded to several motor vehicle accidents due to road conditions.