Carbon monoxide awarenesss can save lives

Alberta'sfire commissioner hasdeclared this week the province's first annual Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week to help educateAlbertans on the hazards of thesilent danger.

The looming winter means temperatures are dropping and furnaces are pumping.

Carbon monoxide is potentially lethal and that is why it is so important for homeowners and tenants to have a working carbon monoxide detector, said Calgary fire spokepersonCarol Henke.

Ideally we would like to see have everyone have one on every level of their home, but the most important place to locate it is near your sleeping area so that in the middle of the night, you can hear it.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odourless anddeadly gascaused by the incomplete burning of fossil fuels. Exposure to CO can lead to serious illness of even death.

The Calgary Fire Department responded to over 1,800 CO-related called in 2013 andHenkehopes that holding annual awareness weeks will help to lower that number.

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"Every year we will continue to participate in this so thatCalgariansknow how they can prevent it in the first place and also how they can insure that they will be made aware that there is an issue in their home," she said.

Carbon monoxide: how to detectandprevent

The Calgary Fire Department teamed up with ATCO gas on Wednesday to demonstrate what homeowners can do to detect and prevent CO gas in their homes this winter.

While the most important element in CO safetyis to install a carbon monoxide alarm, ATCOGas managerDan Nicolajsen stressedthe importance of proper appliancemaintenance.

On a newer appliance, (the inspection)could be every couple years. There is a lot of people with the old conventional gas furnaces there, they probably need to have them looked at annually," said Nicolajsen. "So inspection and maintenance is a very high priority to make sure that you avoid situations that could possibly create carbon monoxide.

There are some simple CO prevention tips that homeowners can perform themselves:

• Leave the space around appliances as uncluttered as possible.
• Check outside ventilation and keep it clear of debris.
• Check indoor venting for signs of rust.

Its important to make sure that any appliance you have is operating safely no matter if its natural gas or otherwiseyou are placing yourself, your family and your home at risk, said Calgary homeowner Bruce Littke.

For more information of CO awareness, visit theCalgary Fire Department information pageor theATCO Gaschecklistof CO safety.