[FONT=Calibri]News Release [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri]Keeping Ontarians Safe from Carbon Monoxide [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri]CO Alarms Now Mandatory in All Homes [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri]October 14, 2014 11:45 A.M.[/FONT]
Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services](http://news.ontario.ca/mcscs/en)
Ontario is taking another step to keep families and homes in Ontario safe by making carbon monoxide alarms mandatory in all residential homes.
The new regulation, which comes into effect October 15, updates Ontario’s Fire Code following the passage of Bill 77 last year. These updates are based on recommendations from a Technical Advisory Committee which was led by the Office of the Fire Marshall and Emergency Management and included experts from fire services, the hotel and rental housing industries, condo owners and alarm manufacturers.
Carbon monoxide detectors will now be required near all sleeping areas in residential homes and in the service rooms, and adjacent sleeping areas in multi-residential units. Carbon monoxide alarms can be hardwired, battery-operated or plugged into the wall.
[FONT=Calibri]Quick Facts[/FONT]
· More than 50 people die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning in Canada, including 11 on average in Ontario.
· Bill 77, an Act to Proclaim Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week and to amend the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997, received royal assent in December 2013.
· The first Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week will take place November 1-8, 2014.
· The Ontario Building Code requires the installation of carbon monoxide alarms in homes and other residential buildings built after 2001.
[FONT=Calibri]Quotes[/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri] [/FONT]
“We want Ontarians to be aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning because these tragedies are preventable. The change to the Fire Code is all about making sure we keep our families and homes safe. I urge all Ontarians to install a carbon monoxide alarm in their homes immediately.”
[FONT=“Arial”]Yasir Naqvi](http://news.ontario.ca/profiles/en/yasir-naqvi) [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri]Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services [/FONT]
“Mandating the installation and maintenance of carbon monoxide alarms in existing homes with a fuel-fired heating system or appliance, fireplace or attached garage under the Fire Code, and providing the authority for municipal fire services to conduct inspections and promote CO awareness, are significant steps forward for enhancing public safety.”
[FONT=Calibri]Tadeusz (Ted) Wieclawek [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri]Ontario Fire Marshal & Chief of Emergency Management [/FONT]
“The fatal effects of carbon monoxide left us with an irreplaceable family loss. Keep your family safe and install a CO alarm so we can combat the silent killer.”
[FONT=Calibri]John Gignac [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri]Co-Chair, Hawkins-Gignac Foundation for CO Education [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri]Media Contacts[/FONT]