THE ILLINOIS STATE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE IS URGING THE PUBLIC TO TEST THEIR SMOKE ALARMS AS THEY "SPRING FORWARD" THIS WEEKEND.

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME SERVES AS A GREAT REMINDER TO PRESS THE TEST BUTTON ON YOUR SMOKE AND C-O DETECTORS AND WAIT FOR THE BEEP SOUND. IF YOU HAVE AN OLDER DETECTOR WITH REMOVABLE BATTERIES, IT'S WISE TO REPLACE THE BATTERIES NOW SAYS FIRE MARSHAL SPOKESPERSON J-C FULTZ. HE NOTES THAT YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TO FIND THAT SOME ALARMS AREN'T WORKING.

FULTZ SAYS THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER.

WHILE YOU'RE AT IT, FULTZ RECOMMENDS CREATING A PLAN FOR WHAT TO DO IF A FIRE BREAKS OUT, DETERMINING TWO EXIT OPTIONS FOR EACH ROOM AND A MEETING SPOT ONCE EVERYONE ESCAPES THE HOUSE.