Press releases

Sun Current Guest Column

Carbon Monoxide

By Marty Scheerer
Guest Columnist

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a killer -- a silent killer that can take over the air you breathe, completely undetected. It is produced when materials burn in an environment with limited oxygen. You can’t see it, smell it or taste it, but high levels of the deadly gas can kill in a matter of minutes. The truly disheartening thing about CO-related deaths is that nearly every one could have been avoided with one simple step -- the installation of a CO detector.

That simple step will soon be the law. Starting Aug. 1, all single-family homes (both new and existing construction) in Minnesota will be required to have an approved and operational CO alarm installed within 10 feet of each bedroom. The requirement is the second phase of a 2006 law that requires all single- and multi-family dwellings to be equipped with CO alarms by August 2009.

Getting this law passed has been very important to me personally. About 15 years ago, I responded to an emergency call in which an Edina mother of two young children died of CO poisoning in her home. It was a tragic situation that I will never forget, and one that could have been avoided if a CO detector had been present. Flash forward to 2005. As a member of the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association (MSFCA), I was contacted by Dave Griggs, a man who had recently 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 to pass legislation requiring CO detectors in every home. All of the cards fell into place.

When Dave first called, I knew it would be an uphill battle, but I truly believed it was the right thing to do and that we could help save lives. With the help of MSFCA lobbyist Sherry Munyon as well as testimony and tireless dedication by the Griggs’ family, the bill was signed into law in just under two years. We were all really surprised and pleased at how quickly the process had been. To put it into perspective, the current smoke detector legislation took 10 years to pass.

Now, with the law in its second phase, I can’t overstate the importance of installing a CO detector in your home. 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.

CO can invade your home from multiple sources such as furnaces, gas or kerosene space heaters, clothes dryers, wood stoves, running motor vehicles and the like. Even careful home maintenance cannot entirely eliminate your chances of encountering the gas. If your CO alarm goes off, get out of the house as quickly as possible and call 911. They will dispatch someone to your home to assess the situation.

Between 2002 and 2006, 92 Minnesotans died from unintentional exposure to the gas. Don’t become one of the statistics. Install your CO alarm today.

Marty Scheerer is Edina Fire Chief. For more information visit www.CityofEdina.com/Fire or call the Edina Fire Department at 952-826-0330.