Testing your carbon monoxide alarms is one of several ways you can stay safe from the ‘silent killer’.
Carbon Monoxide awareness week runs until Saturday.
Fire departments in Ontario are encouraging communities to fully protect themselves from carbon monoxide.
The Town of St. Marys said CO is an invisible, odourless and tasteless gas that is made when fuels like natural gas, propane, oil, wood, or charcoal burn incompletely. It can cause serious illness or death within minutes.
Public Educator, Perth East & West Perth Fire Department, Jess Jorrtisma, said some heating equipment are sources of carbon monoxide.
“If your furnace or your gas stove or your wood stove is not burning properly, these are all potential sources of carbon monoxide. So as we come into these cooler months we want to make sure the equipment we’re using to heat our home has been inspected and cleaned properly.”
Fire Prevention Officer Shay Herrett said you should test your CO alarms every month to make sure they’re working.
She added carbon monoxide alarm requirements were changed in the Ontario Fire Code on the first day of January.
“Prior, you just needed carbon monoxide alarms where you slept but now we need them on every level of the home and outside those sleeping areas.”
Tips include replacing expired alarms, replacing alarm batteries at least once-a-year, using fuel-burning appliances, vents, and chimneys inspected annually by a qualified technician, keep outdoor vents clear of snow, ice, leaves, nests, and other debris, and to never use BBQs, camp stoves, propane heaters, or generators indoors, including in garages.
