Carbon Monoxide detectors save lives.
The colorless, odorless gas is lethal and the only way to know it’s present is to install a good CO detector and to make sure it stays in working condition.
Christina Colston in Colorado Springs credits the Energy Resource Center and the free high-end CO detector the organization installed in her house for saving her home and her life.
When the detector went off in the middle of an August night, she called firefighters and learned there was a dangerous fire smoldering in her attic.
If not for that early detection, her home could have gone up in flames, maybe even with her inside.
That’s just one recent and local example of how important CO detectors can be, said Susan Parker, communications director for the ERC.
More than 500 people a year die of CO poisoning. And it doesn’t have to be that way.
The Energy Resource Center is activating its Carbon Monoxide task force for the third year in a row.
As Colorado Springs heads into winter, the ERC and its partner agencies will begin giving CO detectors away to anyone who needs or wants one.
“The first year, we gave away 300,” Parker said. “Last year we gave away 400. This year I want to give away 500 CO detectors.”
The Energy Resource Center in Colorado Springs is getting national recognition for the work its Carbon Monoxide Task Force is accomplishing.
In partnership with the fire department, local Realtors, property managers and Colorado Springs Utilities, the task force is working to educate people about the dangers of carbon monoxide and the importance of having detectors in the home.
Colorado state law requires that CO detectors be installed within 15 feet of any sleeping area is there is gas-fired heat or water heaters in a home or if a house an attached garage.
Landlords are required to have CO detectors installed and sellers are required by law to provide them with a home when they sell.
Despite the legal requirement for CO detectors, many homes don’t have them and many occupants don’t realize how important they are.
The Carbon Monoxide Task Force will work through the winter months to provide free CO detectors where they are needed.