Hamilton firefighters will be greeting the public this weekend at many local McDonald’s restaurants with a very simple but important life-saving message: When you change your clock Sunday morning, you should also change the batteries in your smoke alarms.

The Ontario Fire Code requires that there be an operational smoke alarm installed on every storey of your home, so most homeowners will have more than one smoke alarm to replace batteries in, says Hamilton Fire Safety Officer John Verbeek.

A working smoke alarm will provide you with the protection and early warning that you need to give you and your family the best chance to survive a fire in your home, he says.

Firefighters will be at the following McDonald’s Restaurant locations on Saturday from 1-3 p.m.:

• 20 Rymal Road East
• 970 Upper Wentworth Street
• 852 Upper Gage Avenue
• 787 Barton Street East
• 727 Queenston Road
• 50 Dundurn Street South
• 1268 King Street East
• 385 Highway 8, Stoney Creek            
• 21 Upper Centennial Parkway South
• 1015 Golf Links Road, Ancaster                   
• 10 Cootes Drive, Dundas
• 115 Hamilton Street North, Waterdown

The Hamilton fire safety trailer will be set up at the 20 Rymal Rd. East (Upper James and Rymal Road) location from noon to 3:30 p.m. Children will learn about common home fire hazards, the importance of smoke alarms and will have the opportunity to learn and practice the necessary skills in order to safely evacuate a home under simulated fire conditions. In addition to distributing fire safety information on smoke alarm maintenance and home fire safety, firefighters will also be distributing fire safety activity sheets for children.