Most of Arizona skips the fall clock change. Your home still deserves a seasonal safety check. As daylight saving time ends elsewhere on November 1, use this weekend to test alarms, review your family’s escape plan and make essential home information easier to find.
The American Red Cross’s October 27 reminder recommends testing smoke alarms every month, replacing alarms that are 10 years old or older and practicing your home fire escape plan at least twice a year. A seasonal reminder is useful, but it does not replace monthly tests.
1. Test alarms and check their age
Use the test button on each smoke alarm and follow its manufacturer’s instructions. Check the manufacture date and note when replacement is due. Check carbon monoxide alarms according to their own instructions and replacement schedule as well; their service life can differ from smoke alarms.
Record the room, model, manufacture date and last test date. If an alarm fails a test, address it promptly rather than waiting for the next seasonal check.
2. Walk through your escape plan together
Review how everyone will leave the home and where you will meet outside. Consider guests, children and anyone who may need assistance. Keep exit routes clear. In a fire, getting people out comes first—do not delay evacuation to find paperwork, scan a QR code or operate a utility shutoff.
3. Make shutoff locations easy to find
Could another adult find your main water shutoff if you were away? Could they identify the electrical panel and locate your utility’s emergency contact information?
Document those locations before a problem occurs. Take clear reference photos, add simple location descriptions and ask a qualified professional for help identifying unfamiliar equipment. Knowing a location is different from knowing when it is safe to operate that equipment.
If you smell gas or suspect a gas leak, leave the area and call 911 and the gas utility from a safe location. Do not use switches, investigate the leak or attempt repairs. Never touch electrical equipment in standing water. Follow emergency responders’ and utility providers’ instructions.
4. Put emergency contacts in one familiar place
Review utility emergency numbers, trusted local service contacts and your household’s meeting place. Show family members and other trusted adults where to find the information. Keep a printed copy accessible so the essentials are available even when a phone is dead or internet service is unavailable.
5. Update your home records
Use this check to organize equipment details, manuals, service receipts and maintenance reminders. Save alarm model numbers and replacement dates alongside other home-system records. Keep private documents in a secure location and share access only with people you trust.
A simple maintenance log can include the date, equipment or room, what was checked, any problem found and the next action. That gives you a useful record to revisit next month, before a service visit or when preparing to sell the home.
A practical habit for homeowners and client gifts
ShutSafe Home Kit helps households document water, gas and electrical shutoff locations and emergency contacts in one familiar place. It supports preparation and communication; it does not detect hazards or replace working alarms, professional advice or emergency services.
Get ShutSafe for Your Home and make this the weekend you find it, write it down and show your household where to look. Want a quick starting point? Take the free 3-minute Home Readiness Challenge.
Realtors and insurance agents can share this checklist with clients as a useful seasonal touchpoint. Explore personalized ShutSafe kits for client gifts to help homeowners keep essential information easy to find long after move-in day.
Sources: American Red Cross, October 27, 2026; U.S. Department of Transportation daylight saving time guidance. Most of Arizona does not observe daylight saving time. Published October 31, 2026.
