This is a great time of year to test your home’s carbon monoxide alarms, says North Grenville Fire Prevention Officer Elizabeth Greenberg.
November 1st through 7th every year is Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week, and Greenberg says it’s important to make sure your alarms are working as the weather gets colder.
“This is the time when we start to get our woodstoves going, it’s a bit chilly in the morning, we’re turning up our furnaces, we’re using gas appliances more inside,” Greenberg explains, “and people may not be aware that all those appliances have the ability to produce carbon monoxide if they’re not tuned up correctly.”
Carbon monoxide is a tasteless, odorless gas, and Greenberg says exposure to it can make you nauseous and exhausted. Prolonged exposure can be fatal.
Greenberg says you should have carbon monoxide alarms outside the sleeping areas in your home, and near your garage or any fuel-burning appliances.
If you need a new alarm and don’t know what to get, or have other questions about carbon monoxide safety, Greenberg says you can call the North Grenville Fire Service.
