RHINELANDER - Daylight savings time means we'll finally get a little more sunlight, but it's also the time firefighters want you to make sure your homes are safe.

Fire Departments recommend checking your smoke detector once a month. They also want people change the batteries twice a year. That's why daylight savings is the perfect time to remind people to do so.

"With fire situations in homes the earliest detection possible will save your life because a bad situation only keeps getting worse if you don't know the fire is going on it's easy to get possibly trapped, or in a situation you can't get out of. Or maybe get the rest of your family members out of your house in time," says Ryan Berghammer, from the Rhinelander Fire Department.

Firefighters say the worst mistake people make is taking out the batteries when something gets smoking in the kitchen, or stealing the batteries to use in other things. The smoke detector often gets left with the batteries out.

Another thing they want people to know is carbon monoxide detectors are NOT good indefinitely. Because of the sensors inside they last from five to seven years.

Story By: Lyndsey Stemm