The London Fire Department is reminding homeowners that their best defence against a gas known as the silent killer is to install a working carbon monoxide alarm.
The advice comes as the cold weather leads people to start using fireplaces and wood stoves. It also coincides with Ontario's Carbon Monoxide (CO) Awareness Week, which continues until November 7.
Platoon Chief Colin Shewell and Public Information Coordinator Shannon Byron.
"The reason for this week is the Hawkins-Gignac Act that came into effect December 2013. That was in regard to OPP Constable Laurie Hawkins who died along with her husband and two children from carbon monoxide poisoning at their home in Woodstock in 2008," said Platoon Chief Colin Shewell. "We don't want their deaths to be in vain."
Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless, and tasteless gas that can be very deadly as it can't be seen or smelled.
Fire officials will spend the week raising awareness about the poisonous gas and stressing that the only way to detect it is to have a CO alarm inside your home.
"If you have a gas-fired appliance, a fireplace, a wood stove or an attached garage, by law you need to have a CO alarm on every level of your residence and near all sleeping areas," said Shewell.
He added those alarms should be tested once a month to ensure they are in working condition and to replace them every five to seven years. Should the CO alarm inside a home sound, everyone inside needs to get out immediately and call 911.
Exposure to CO can cause flu-like symptoms including headache, dizziness, drowsiness, and nausea. It is the number one cause of preventable poisoning death in North America. In Ontario, more than 65 per cent of injuries and deaths from CO occur in the home.
Failure to install a working CO alarm can result in fines that range between $360 to $50,000 for individuals and up to $100,000 for landlords.
Shewell also noted it is important for people to have all fuel-burning appliances and vents inspected annually by a registered contractor.
For more information about carbon monoxide alarms click here.