THUNDER BAY – Homeowners and landlords will be required to have carbon monoxide alarms on all levels and outside sleeping areas.
“Carbon monoxide is a silent killer, so you can’t smell it, you can’t see it like smoke,” Kevin Anderson, acting division chief at Thunder Bay Fire Rescue, told Dougall Media.
He said as of Jan. 1, the new law will come into effect province-wide.
For residential homeowners who have fuel-fired appliances, a fireplace or an attached garage, alarms will now be required on every storey, not just near sleeping areas.
Multi-unit buildings with be required to have a carbon monoxide alarm installed in all suites meeting certain conditions, service rooms, and public corridors in some cases.
Care facilities and certain group homes need them in suites and common areas.
“Carbon monoxide is produced when there’s incomplete combustion of a fuel, so that creates this poisonous gas. Without a detector, you won’t know it’s there,” Anderson said. “If you’re awake, you might feel nauseous and, you know, lightheaded, but if you’re sleeping, you won’t wake up if you get poisoned.”
