South Dundas Fire & Emergency Services

Beat the Silent Killer: Prevent CO in Your Home

Ontario’s Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week runs from November 1-7. More than 50 people die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning in Canada, including about 11 on average in Ontario.

The best way to ensure that you and your family are not exposed to carbon monoxide is to eliminate this poisonous gas at the source.

Make the maintenance of your fuel-burning appliances, equipment and venting systems an absolute priority. Have a trained, certified technician check your furnace, gas, stove, fireplace or fuel-burning appliances on a yearly basis.

You must have a working CO alarm adjacent to each sleeping area of the home if your home has a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage. For added protection, install a carbon monoxide alarm on every storey of the home according to manufacturer’s instructions. These will warn you of rising levels of CO, giving you and your family time to escape.

CO is known as the silent killer because it is an invisible, tasteless and odourless gas that can be deadly. Without CO alarms, the only way to know if CO is present is when the physical symptoms of CO poisoning become apparent. By then...it might be too late to avoid injury.