Mechanicsburg, PA – We are now fully entrenched in the cold-weather season which means its time for all Pennsylvania residents to equip their homes with a carbon monoxide alarm.
It’s also timely to renew the call for lawmakers to pass legislation that strengthens requirements for carbon monoxide (CO) alarms in homes in Pennsylvania next legislative session.
CO is a colorless, odorless, tasteless lethal gas known as the silent killer. It is created by the burning of fossil fuels in appliances such as gas and oil furnaces, gas water heaters, propane heaters, stoves and non-electric space heaters. If these appliances malfunction or are not maintained or vented properly, carbon monoxide can build up to harmful or lethal levels.
The only safe way to know if CO is present in your home is with a working alarm. CO alarms are relatively inexpensive. They can be purchased for as little as $25 and typically last for seven years. Alarms are also very easy to install. In the presence of dangerous concentrations of carbon monoxide, the CO alarm will produce a shrill 85 decibel alarm that should wake anyone sleeping and alert them that the premises must be evacuated. A CO alarm should be placed on every level of a home to protect against this silent killer.
Pennsylvania has a major problem when it comes to CO exposure. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Pennsylvania is a national leader in CO deaths and poisonings. In each winter season, you can be sure that there will be scores of CO incidents that in homes across the state. Just recently, an 82-year old man from Shrewsberry Township died from CO exposure after the water heater in his home malfunctioned.
The state General Assembly had a chance to begin to address this issue earlier this year by passing legislation that would have strengthened requirements for CO alarms in certain dwellings. The Pennsylvania Senate approved this measure unanimously, but the Pennsylvania House of Representatives never acted on the bill. This is unfortunate.
Strengthening requirements for CO alarms will result in lives saved and reduce CO-related injuries.
We need to look no further than the City of Philadelphia to see that laws strengthening CO requirements work. In 2009, an ordinance went into effect in Philadelphia that required most homes to have a carbon monoxide alarm. The rate of CO incidents the Philadelphia Fire Department responded to that resulted in the need to transport a victim to the hospital has dropped dramatically since the enactment of this law.
Unlike many accidental poisonings, CO poisoning can be prevented by installing a CO alarm. I was a firefighter for more than 30 years and have been on the scene of many CO-related incidents in my career. Have seen far too many tragic situations that could have been prevented if a working alarm had been installed, the importance of equipping your home with a CO alarm cannot be stressed enough.
However, alarms do not take the place of proper appliance maintenance. Heating systems should be inspected annually. Fireplace chimneys should be examined for the presence of any obstructions such as a bird nest. Also, never run a car while it is stopped in the garage, even for a short time. Gas generators as well should never be run inside of the home or near outside furnace vents. And charcoal grills should not be used inside a home or in an enclosed space such as a garage.
I urge the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass a law that strengthens requirements for CO alarms in homes in 2013. I also strongly recommend that everyone have a CO alarm on every level of their home. Alarms provide a strong safeguard for you and your family against this silent killer.