Stopping a silent killer
Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week
Every year, Oshawa firefighters respond to hundreds of carbon monoxide calls. While many prove to be false alarms, firefighters are still calling on residents to make sure their detectors are working properly, as the odourless and tasteless gas can cause serious health problems, and even death.
By Graeme McNaughton/The Oshawa Express
On average, Oshawa Fire Services receives a call for carbon monoxide every 29 hours – and the number of calls is growing.
According to Steve Boyd, the city’s deputy fire chief, the fire department receives approximately 300 carbon monoxide calls a year – and while many are false alarms caused by a faulty alarm or a low battery, there are certainly emergencies.
And it is preventing these emergencies that is the focus of Carbon Monoxide Week, which runs from Nov. 1 to 7.
Carbon monoxide is a clear and odourless gas that “forms whenever you burn fuel like propane, natural gas, gasoline, oil, coal and wood,” according to Health Canada. Carbon monoxide inhalation can lead to health problems, with low-level exposure causing headaches, tiredness, shortness of breath and impaired motor function. High-level exposure or long-term low-level exposure can lead to dizziness, chest pain, tiredness, poor vision and difficulty thinking. At very high levels, carbon monoxide can kill you.
It is because of these severe problems that Boyd recommends not only getting a carbon monoxide detector, but making sure it is working properly.
“All new homes constructed today require carbon monoxide detectors as per the building code so it is the older building stock that we are targeting. Carbon monoxide alarms should be replaced every 10 years at the maximum or sooner if false alarms are occurring,” he says.
“Residents should also change the battery in their alarm every six months as with their smoke alarms when the clocks are set back and forward, spring and fall.”
Outside of carbon monoxide detectors, Boyd says residents should ensure that any fuel-burning appliances in their home are properly inspected.
And with colder weather just around the corner – and the bad weather that potentially comes with it – Boyd says people need to be extra cautious of what they have in their homes.
“We had several carbon monoxide calls during the ice storm a few years ago as a result of people using generators that were not adequately ventilated, and using propane and naphtha stoves indoors,” he says.
“Not only is this practice dangerous from a fire perspective, but carbon monoxide levels can reach lethal levels very quickly in these cases. Residents should attempt to stay with friends or family when possible in the event of an extended power outage.”
For more carbon monoxide prevention tips and additional information on Oshawa Fire Services, please visit oshawa.ca/fire.