With temperatures dropping and many of us are reaching for the thermostat or the fireplace to keep us warm, our CSLEA members who are emergency responders are reminding us, November is California Carbon Monoxide Awareness month and we should all have detectors in our homes. 

Carbon monoxide detectors are not only a good and  life-saving idea, they are required by law. 

“This is important information that our CSLEA members at the state Fire Marshal’s office work to get out every year,” said CSLEA President Alan Barcelona.  “No one wants to discover loved ones sickened or dead from what’s called the silent killer, carbon monoxide.  A simple device detects the poisonous gas and sounds the alarm.  Simple and life-saving.”

According to recent statistics, nearly 500 people in this country die from carbon monoxide poisoning and more than 20,000 people are taken to the emergency room deathly ill from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that is produced from furnaces, heaters, fireplaces and some appliances and cooking devices.

The state Fire Marshal’s office  estimates that only one in 10 homes has a carbon monoxide detector.  Single -family homes are required by law to have carbon monoxide detectors and beginning in January that same law applies to multi-unit homes like condos and apartments.  It is recommended that one alarm be installed on every floor and outside each sleeping area.