While your phones and computers will automatically 'spring back' one hour this Sunday, April 5, Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) are encouraging people to check their smoke alarms when they change their clocks.

Narromine FRNSW captain Ewen Jones said taking a few minutes to ensure smoke alarms were working properly could buy valuable time for families during an emergency.

He said however due to the COVID-19 pandemic at this time they won't be able to undertake the annual home fire safety checks for seniors.

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"At this point in time FRNSW have directed that we don't take part in any community engagement of any type at the moment," he said.

"We were planning to do the smoke alarms over the weekend of April 4 and 5, but at this point in time that won't be happening until the coronavirus pandemic is bought under control."

However Captain Jones is reassuring residents batteries they replaced last year will last for up to two years.

"A lot of the ones we fitted last year in particular are 10-years guaranteed," he said.

"We will come and check them once we get the go ahead, it just wont be happening when it should."

According to Fire and Rescue NSW data 56 per cent of fatal home fires between 2000 and 2014 occurred in homes where no smoke alarms were present.

A working smoke alarm provides a critical early warning, giving you and your family time to escape. It can take as little as three minutes for a fire to take hold and takes only two quick breaths of thick, black smoke to render someone unconscious.

Captain Jones is still encouraging able-members of the community as they change their clock, check their batteries.