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Mayor Menino, Fire Department, First Alert® Educate Residents on Carbon Monoxide
3/7/2006
-
Released by
Mayor's Office
For more information contact
Mayor's Press Office
Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Acting Boston Fire Commissioner Kevin MacCurtain, and representatives from First Alert® joined residents of Tent City to kick off of a campaign, which will educate Boston residents on the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) and make residents aware of the March 31st compliance deadline for Nicole’s Law, a newly passed state law requiring CO alarms in all residences. As part of the campaign, the Boston Fire Department will provide 350 CO detectors to homes during a safety check. First Alert® has generously donated the detectors to the Boston Fire Department to benefit Boston residents who otherwise might not be able to afford them.
“I want to commend First Alert for their generous donation of carbon monoxide detectors for our residents,” Mayor Menino said. “While carbon monoxide is a silent killer, deaths from this gas can be easily prevented with the simple installation of a carbon monoxide detector. I urge everyone to be safe and install a detector in your home. I also want to thank Tent City for giving us the opportunity to help educate all Boston residents – and both landlords and homeowners about what they need to do to comply with this new law.”
On Tuesday, Boston firefighters conducted an informal poll of Tent City residences by going door-to-door in the complex. They checked to see if residents were aware of the new CO Alarm Law going into effect and to provide alarms to residents without them. Tent City residents with no CO alarms will receive a free First Alert alarm from the fire department for immediate home safety.
Addressing the importance of this new CO legislation, Acting Boston Fire Commissioner Kevin MacCurtain urged community members to be aware of the dangers posed by carbon monoxide and to take steps to protect the ones they love from this silent killer.
“Carbon monoxide poisoning is preventable and this donation from First Alert will help many families,” he said. “In addition to making sure that your fuel-burning appliances are inspected each year, having an early warning to let you know that carbon monoxide is present is the best way to avoid tragedy and illness. And that’s exactly why the state of Massachusetts will require all homes to have CO alarms by March 31.”
Carbon monoxide is invisible and odorless. It can come from a malfunctioning fuel-burning appliance such as a furnace, water heater, gas oven or range, blocked flue or vent or a car left running in an attached garage. It is a byproduct of incomplete combustion of wood, coal, charcoal, gasoline, kerosene, natural gas or oil. CO is dangerous because it robs blood of oxygen, suffocating the person from the inside out in as little as 15 minutes. Nationwide research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals more than 15,000 Americans get sick from accidental, non-fire related exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) every year, and another 500 die.
“We commend City Hall and the Boston Fire Department’s efforts to educate residents on the dangers of carbon monoxide and to continue taking steps to ensure everyone in this state is protected,” said Mark Colello, senior vice president and general manager at BRK Brands, Inc., the manufacturer of First Alert branded home safety products. “We hope this alarm donation will help make an immediate impact in this community and will serve as a reminder to everyone that there is an effective and simple way to protect families from the threat of carbon monoxide.”
Massachusetts’ Nicole’s Law was inspired by the January 2005 accidental death of 7-year-old Nicole Garofalo, whose home filled with CO as a result of a snow drift blocking an exhaust vent for the home’s propane-fired boiler. For details on the law, visit www.mass.gov/legis/laws/seslaw05/sl050123.htm.
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©2009 The City of Boston
©2009 The City of Boston
©2009 The City of Boston
