Prince George’s County, MD – A new law went into effect in Prince George’s County on July 1, requiring that nearly all homes in the county have carbon monoxide detectors on each floor.
The detectors are required in homes that have gas service for heating or cooking, as well as in homes with a fireplace or an attached garage, said Mark Brady, a Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department spokesman.
State law requires all newly built homes have carbon monoxide detectors, but this law applies to homes of any age, Brady said.
There is a $100 fine for not having an alarm; however, Brady said his department plans to use “passive enforcement.”
“To be honest, I don’t know if we will ever issue a ticket,” he said.
The main goal is not to impose fines but to promote safety in the county, Brady said. In the past two years, nine people have died from carbon monoxide poisoning in Prince George’s County, according to The Washington Post.
“It’s not like we’re going to be out writing tickets,” Brady said. “We’re going to try to help people get those alarms installed.”
Checks for carbon monoxide detectors will take place the first Wednesday of every month, Brady said. Members from the county’s 45 fire departments will visit various communities and check door-to-door to make sure houses have the detectors.
If a house that requires a detector does not have one, fire department workers will inform the residents of the new law, provide information about where to get the alarms and help install them for free. Anyone who needs help can call the smoke alarm hotline at 301-864-7233, Brady said.
For the past 30 years, the Fire/EMS Department has given away and installed smoke alarms for free.
However, the carbon monoxide detectors, which cost between $25 and $50, are too costly for the department to provide for free, Brady said.
Brady said the department recommends purchasing a combination smoke and carbon monoxide detector, which costs about $50 and lasts 10 years.
The department conducted both a media campaign and social media campaign to spread the word about the new law. They are also working with Washington Gas, which will send out fliers about the legislation with gas bills, Brady said.
Junior elementary education major Camille Battah, who will be living in a house in the county this upcoming school year, said she was unaware of the new law.
“I think I would definitely be interested in getting [a detector] depending on money and stuff,” she said.
The Fire/EMS Department will try to work with the university to make students aware of the new law, Brady said.
Rental homes are already required to have the detectors, so students living in fraternity or sorority houses or apartments do not have to worry about the new law.
“There may be individuals living in a private arrangement with a private homeowner somewhere in College Park or Hyattsville that may not be aware of it,” Brady said. “We’ll make sure we revisit that and work with the university to get the law out.”
“It sounds like something that if we all sat down and talked about it, me and my roommates would be interested in looking into more,” Battah said. “It definitely scares me to know that people died from [carbon monoxide].”