Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week begins tomorrow and runs until November 7.
North Bay Fire & Emergency Services (NBFES) has teamed up with the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) and the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management (OFMEM) to raise awareness about the dangers of carbon monoxide and the need for CO alarms.
This Saturday, from 9:30am to 6:00pm, NBFES encourages the public to visit Northgate Shopping Centre where crews will be hosting the TSSA “Carbon Monoxide Safety Home,” a full-scale model house on wheels showcasing CO safety in the home.
Complete with augmented reality, the house offers visitors an immersive and engaging experience to raise awareness about the potential CO sources in the home, and how to mitigate those risks. Participants will move through the house and experience, through virtual reality, reinforcement of important safety tips.
Carbon monoxide is known as the “silent killer,” because it is an invisible, tasteless and odourless gas that can be deadly. It is produced when fuels such as natural gas, propane, wood, heating oil or gasoline do not burn properly in fuel-burning appliances such a furnaces, gas or wood fireplaces, hot water heaters, gas or wood stoves, portable fuel burning heaters and generators or vehicles.
If your home has a fuel-burning appliance or an attached garage, you must have a working CO alarm adjacent to each sleeping area. Have fuel-fired appliances inspected annually by a TSSA registered heating contractor and for additional protection, install a carbon monoxide alarm on every storey of the home and replace any alarms that may be seven years or older.
