Daylight saving time returns at 2 a.m. Sunday, when we move our clocks ahead one hour.

While that means we will have an extra hour of sunshine to enjoy outdoor activities, it also represents a good time to check the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

According to the National Fire Protection Association and the National Safety Council reported that in 2022, fire departments across the United States responded to an average of 1,504,500 fires in the United States. Those blazes were the result of 3,790 civilian deaths and 13,250 civilian injuries, the numbers show.

Cooking, at 49 percent, represents the greatest cause of home structure fires, followed by heating equipment at 13 percent, electrical distribution and lighting equipment at 9 percent and smoking materials at 5 percent. Sadly, 7 percent of the fires are set intentionally.

On average, the numbers show, a fire department will respond to a fire somewhere in the United States every 21 seconds.

One home structure fire is reported every 88 seconds, and one home fire-related injury happens every 53 minutes. Sadly, there is a death attributable to a home fire every three hours and 14 minutes.

Firefighters also are at risk when they answer a call, with 66,650 injuries occurring in the line of duty in 2022, a number that represents an 8 percent increase over the 60,750 injured reported in 2021, according to the NFPA. Sadly, there were 96 deaths of on-duty firefighters reported.

Smoke detectors save lives and limit property damage. In a fire, smoke and deadly gases tend to spread farther and faster than heat. Most victims of fires die from smoke or toxic gases and not from burns.

The time to talk about smoke detectors is before a fire breaks out. Their warning can give you the precious seconds needed to escape a burning house.

They are inexpensive to purchase and, in some communities, detectors are available for reduced fees or at no charge.

Installation is easy, and can be accomplished by just about anyone. Local fire departments can be called for help in placing smoke detectors throughout the home. Experts say the best configuration includes one alarm on each floor of the house and inside sleeping areas.

Smoke alarms aren’t effective if they aren’t working properly. Test the alarms once a month by pushing the test button and observing that the lights flash and the alarm sounds loudly.

Properly installed and maintained smoke alarms do save lives. The fire protection association says almost two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in properties without working smoke alarms.

The biggest causes for an alarm to fail to function properly are missing, disconnected or dead batteries. Surveys show that almost one-third of all smoke detectors fall into that category, and that situation is as bad as not having a smoke detector at all.

Consider the time to spring ahead as the time to double check those batteries. While you’re at it, clean your smoke alarm and, if it is more than 10 years old, it should be replaced.

While you’re busy this weekend setting and resetting your clocks, don’t forget to check your smoke detectors.

Stay safe, and enjoy the extra daylight coming our way, and remember: Barring an act of Congress, we will return to Eastern Standard Time at 2 a.m. Nov. 3.