How a carbon monoxide alarm can save your life: fire marshal

It’s called the silent killer for a reason, and by the time you realize its there, it may be too late.

Fire marshal for Regina Fire and Protective Services Randy Ryba explained that carbon monoxide is a colourless, odorless gas that is given off in any fire, most often by fossil fuels or any fuel-burning appliance. It is also present following the normal combustion of any materials.

“We respond to, on average, about 140 emergency calls a year for carbon monoxide,” Ryba said. “The vast majority are in dwellings or homes that people lives in. They are from any fuel-burning appliance, be it your water heater, your furnace, your gas fireplace, and sometimes people leave vehicles running in their attached garage … that ends up seeping into the house.”

Commonly, Ryba receives calls where people describe they aren’t feeling well. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include nausea, dizziness and sleepiness.

“If you have enough carbon monoxide where you are fortunate enough to survive, they can be prolonged symptoms,” Ryba said. “Some people, if you get a minor leak in the house, this stuff builds up over time in the body.

“The longer you are exposed to it the more your body is absorbing it and the symptoms become more violent and more and more dangerous.”

Typically when there is carbon monoxide present in a home, the carbon monoxide alarm in the home will activate. The alarm is similar to that of a fire alarm and is meant to wake a person up.

“Half of these calls, there is actually carbon monoxide leaking into the home,” Ryba said. “The remainder of those calls are actually carbon monoxide detectors that are failing to operate correctly, or they are outdated.

“We recommend they be changed every eight to ten years because they do become less sensitive and don’t operate correctly. They should be tested monthly, just like your smoke alarms.”

Ryba explained not every house is equipped with a carbon monoxide alarm and advises homeowners to install one.

“I strongly encourage them, especially with the heating season coming,” Ryba said. “Falls coming, furnaces are operating. I always recommend that all your gas fired appliances in your home should be checked annually by a qualified service technician to make sure that they’re operating correctly and again, carbon monoxide alarms are highly recommended.”

In fact, Ryba suggests there should be one carbon monoxide alarm in every sleeping room.

“If that can’t happen due to the cost of them, at least one in the hallway adjacent to your sleeping rooms, and one in every level of the home.” he said. “If you are sleeping at whatever time of the day and you have a leak, you’ll never know until it may be too late. So we highly encourage people to purchase them.”

Carbon monoxide alarms come in varying forms. Some plug into a wall socket and others can be installed on a ceiling.

The gas has the same buoyancy as air, causing it to move freely from floor to ceiling without gathering in any specific areas. Ryba recommended not operating vehicles during the wintertime in attached garages, even with the doors open because any wind blowing inwards will force the monoxide into their home.

“(Carbon monoxide alarms) along with smoke alarms, those are the most important items you can have in your home for early detection,” Ryba said.