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A new law that takes effect Wednesday makes it mandatory for all homes to have a carbon monoxide detector. It’s a law that’s inspired by tragedy with a goal of preventing further tragedies. 50 Canadians, including 11 Ontarians die every year on average due to carbon monoxide poisoning. And basically, everyone is at risk. The Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs says that 88% of all homes have something that could create carbon monoxide. We went to find out how to make sure your home is carbon monoxide safe.
This is the only thing that could save you from carbon monoxide poisoning
John Gignac, founder — End the Silence: “When it comes to carbon monoxide you don’t have any advanced warning, it’s a silent killer.”
it was that silent killer that claimed the life of John’s niece Laurie, her husband and two children back in 2008 when a clogged fireplace allowed the poisonous gas to spread throughout their home. Six years later the Hawking-Gignac Act was passed.
John Gignac: “It’s kind of sad to think that it took six years to get this bill passed, and during that six years we’ve lost people to carbon monoxide and those are people we feel we could have saved.”
And that’s what John, a former firefighter, is trying to do. He walked us through his home and demonstrated how to use the detectors properly.
John Gignac: “Carbon monoxide is the same density as air so you can put these detectors anywhere, you can put them on the ceiling or like we have here in a normal household outlet. This is outside our sleeping quarters, this is where we’d like to see them plugged in. This is when you’re most susceptible to the gases at night time.”
And how to react if the alarm ever sounds: “Don’t open your windows. Leave the windows closed and leave the area so the fire department can get a good reading when they come.”
The new law requires any structure that has a fuel-burning device or has an attached garage to have a CO detector. John showed us how to maintain some of those devices: “If the glass is dirty and smoky, that’s an indication that your fire place isn’t burning properly.”
And when it comes to powering the detectors, they don’t last forever: “If it’s more than seven or ten years old depending on the model you have to get rid of it.”
Like any piece of technology, you’ll be faced with some choices once you get to the store. So how do you know whether to get this, or this?
John Gignac: “I really like this one because it has a digital display that tells you the severity of the incident.”
Safe to say, John’s message is already being heard.
“We thought we better hurry up and get on this, quit putting it off.”
Buildings that have up to 6 units have until April 15 next year to install carbon monoxide detectors. Bigger complexes will have until a year from now to comply. To add to this bill finally passing, the provincial government will hold the first ever carbon monoxide awareness week starting November 1st.
