Turn clocks ahead, and don't forget to check smoke alarms (and note the new Illinois law)

Your to-do list this weekend is a little longer.

The first order of business: Remember to "spring forward" and move your clocks ahead one hour before you turn in tonight.

Making the transition to daylight saving time will save you from showing up somewhere late and confused. Another weekend task could save your life, firefighters say.

It's also time to test and inspect smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and replace defective ones.

"Synthetic materials used in modern home construction causes homes to burn faster and hotter while producing toxic fumes, limiting escape times to three minutes or less," Illinois State Fire Marshal James Rivera said Friday. "This makes it vital for residents to ensure they have working smoke alarms in their homes while maintaining a fire escape plan that takes everyone's needs into account and practice that plan."

Illinois law now requires all homes built before 1988 to have smoke alarms with sealed batteries that last 10 years. If you find a broken or expired alarm, replace it immediately with a new 10-year sealed battery alarm, the state fire marshal's office said.

The requirement does not apply to residences built after 1988 with hard-wired smoke detectors. Homes with battery-powered smoke alarms installed before the law went into effect on Jan. 1 may remain in place until the devices are 10 years old or until they fail to respond to operability tests, or otherwise malfunction.

If you still have functional alarms with removable batteries, change those batteries at least once a year.

According to a National Fire Protection Association report, almost three out of five residential fire deaths from 2014 to 2018 resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or smoke alarms that failed to operate.

The chances of dying in a home fire were 55% lower in structures with working smoke alarms than in those without, the report showed.

The American Red Cross and the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance also share these safety tips:

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement, inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas.

• Install at least one carbon monoxide alarm on each level of the home.

• Plan and rehearse your fire escape route with your family at least twice a year.

• The Red Cross advises practicing a two-minute escape plan. Make sure everyone in your household can get out in less than two minutes. Include at least two ways to get out of every room and select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home where everyone knows where to meet.