A fire chief suggests residents ring in daylight saving time by changing the batteries in their smoke alarms.

At 2 a.m. Sunday, the time will move forward one hour to begin daylight saving time. Palomar Mountain Fire Department Chief George Lucia Jr. is urging San Diego County residents to change smoke-alarm batteries when they change their clocks.

"Smoke alarms increase your family's chance of getting out of a home fire alive - but only if they work," Lucia said.

He said 83 percent of all civilian fire deaths occur in home fires.