Press releases

Carbon monoxide alarms required in all single-family homes on Aug. 1

Edina, Minn., June 5, 2008 -- Beginning Aug. 1, all single-family homes in Minnesota will be required to have an approved and operational carbon monoxide (CO) alarm installed within 10 feet of each bedroom. This requirement is the second phase of the 2006 legislation that requires all single- and multi-family dwellings to be equipped with CO alarms by August 2009.

The first phase of this law required all newly constructed single- and multi-family dwellings built after Jan. 1, 2007, to have installed CO alarms. Phase 3, which goes into effect Aug. 1, 2009, will require that all existing multi-family dwellings also have operational alarms installed. Violation of the law is a misdemeanor and could result in a criminal and/or financial penalty. It is nearly identical in nature to smoke detector legislation passed in the late 1970s.

CO is produced when a material burns in an environment where not enough oxygen is available. Referred to as the “silent killer,” it is a colorless, odorless and deadly gas. High levels of CO are extremely dangerous and can cause death within minutes. Without an alarm to alert individuals of increased levels, it can go completely undetected. Although they may not always be exhibited, symptoms of CO poisoning can range from a mild headache and breathlessness to flu-like symptoms including dizziness and nausea. Culprits of increased CO in homes can include furnaces, gas or kerosene space heaters, boilers, gas stoves, water heaters, clothes dryers, fireplaces, charcoal grills, wood stoves, lawn mowers, power generators and running motor vehicles.

“We were really surprised and pleased at how quickly this law passed,” said Edina Fire Chief Marty Scheerer, who helped spearhead the movement. “It took 10 years to pass smoke detector legislation; we got this passed in under two.”

In 2005, Scheerer, a member of the State Fire Chiefs Association, was contacted by Dave Griggs, who had lost his 3-year-old granddaughter to CO poisoning. Not wanting his granddaughter’s death to have been in vain, Griggs was looking for help in lobbying the legislature to make CO alarms a requirement.

“Dave contacted a lot of people who were sympathetic to his cause but didn’t think anything could be done,” said Scheerer. “I thought it would take more time and money than it did, but from the start, I said ‘I think we can get this done.’”

When purchasing a CO detector, the Edina Fire Department recommends getting one with a digital read-out, since that is the only way to know exactly how much CO is present when an alarm sounds. The Department also recently received grant money to purchase a CO Oximeter, a machine that checks the CO level of patients who have had heavy or long-term exposure to CO. Edina is one of the first ambulance services or fire departments to utilize this brand new technology.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, 8,000 to 15,000 people are treated for CO poisoning each year. Between 2002 and 2006, 92 Minnesotans died from unintentional exposure.

For more information on CO and CO poisoning, visit the State Fire Marshal’s website at www.fire.state.mn.us/CO/CO.htm or call the Edina Fire Department at 952-826-0330.