Cochrane Fire Services wants people to get serious about carbon monoxide detection. “We were quite alarmed that 90 per cent of people in apartment complexes didn't have carbon monoxide detectors, ” said Lt.
Cochrane Fire Services wants people to get serious about carbon monoxide detection.
“We were quite alarmed that 90 per cent of people in apartment complexes didn't have carbon monoxide detectors, ” said Lt. Jeff Avery, public affairs and safety codes officer with Cochrane Fire.
“You can smell and see fire but you can't smell or see carbon monoxide. ”
Long dubbed the silent killer, carbon monoxide is a potentially fatal gas that can be present inside any home heated by any fuel.
Leaky furnaces, stoves, blocked chimney flues, indoor cooking units and unventilated vehicle exhausts are among the most common culprits.
“People pay more for their cell phones for a month than a carbon monoxide alarm that will last them for years, ” said Avery.
He recommends carbon monoxide detectors to be installed next to fire alarms on every living floor in a household; there are also two-in-one carbon monoxide/fire alarm detectors.
Checking batteries every spring and fall are recommended and it never hurts to hit the test button when walking by the unit on occasion. He also recommends annual furnace and chimney cleanings.
The units are sold in any building or hardware supply store and start around $30, they are designed to last up to 10 years.
Carbon monoxide alarm calls accounted for 4.5 per cent of Cochrane fire call volumes last year.
A Cochrane family of five, the Irwin family, was treated for carbon monoxide poisoning in December 2015 as a result of a leaky furnace.
All five members of the family were given oxygen and treated for the poisonous gas after taking the daughter, Ruby, into Cochrane Urgent Care when she was suffering from headaches and vomiting - common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The family, who previous to the incident had no detectors installed, went out and purchased three detectors.
“You really need one (detector) downstairs and one near all the bedrooms, ” Diane Irwin told the Eagle in a previous interview. “We went out and bought three of them. ”
This past winter saw a spike in call volumes, possibly to be attributed to the cold weather that resulted in condensation and home circulation issues.
Avery said he and his fellow firefighters are hopeful the installation of carbon monoxide detectors becomes mandatory in the near future.
Last fall there was a massive recall of Kidde combination carbon monoxide/fire alarm detectors due to alarm failure; visit kidde.com for a list of recalled serial models.
