SUNDAY IS TIME TO FALL BACK

Darkness will come an hour earlier Sunday as the nation returns to standard time, ending seven months of daylight-saving time.

Instead of setting around 6 p.m., as it has the past few days, the sun will set Sunday at about 5 p.m., and rise at 6:20 a.m. Monday instead of 7:20 a.m. However the sun will continue to rise later each day, and set earlier, until the first day of winter on Dec. 21.

The official time switch at 2 a.m., will give most people an extra hour of sleep Sunday morning, or maybe an extra hour to stay out Saturday night.

The best time to make the switch is before going to bed Saturday night. Just remember to "fall back" one hour when resetting clocks and watches.

Cape Girardeau Fire Chief Robert Ridgeway urges everyone to take advantage of the time switch Saturday night to also change the batteries in home smoke detectors.

With smoke detectors now in 82 percent of American homes, the problem is no longer homes without smoke detectors, but homes with smoke detectors that don't work.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) says nearly one-third of all residential smoke detectors don't work because of missing batteries - a factor that contributes to many of the estimated 5,000 deaths and nearly 200,000 burns and injuries caused each year by home fires.

The NFPA says smoke detector maintenance is one of the simplest, most effective ways to help reduce the thousands of deaths and injuries caused by home fires each year. In fact, a working smoke detector cuts the risk of dying in a home fire by nearly half.

"A working smoke detector is a home's best defense against fire because it gives an early warning and critical seconds to escape," said Ridgeway. "Unfortunately, people forget to install a fresh battery or they remove it to use in a toy other home appliance and forget to replace it."

In addition to changing smoke detector batteries on Saturday, Ridgeway also recommends that residents use the "extra" hour from the time change to take other fire safety measures.

The checklist should include:

- Check each smoke detector by pushing the test button.

- Vacuum smoke detectors each month to remove dust and cobwebs that might impair its sensitivity.

- Keep a working flashlight with fresh batteries near your bed, in the kitchen, basement and family room to use for signaling for help in case of fire.

- Install and test a fire extinguisher in or near the kitchen and know how to use it.

- Develop at least two different escape routes and practice them with the entire family. Make sure young children know what to do when the smoke detector goes off.

The Missouri Highway Patrol and the American Optometric Association remind motorists the weekend time change means drivers will also be traveling in more hours of darkness and should keep that in mind when planning long trips.

Daylight-saving time will return on April 3, 1994.