Thunder Bay Fire Rescue Chief John Hay welcomes pending legislation that will make carbon monoxide detectors mandatory in Ontario.
Hay on Thursday said the devices, which can be battery operated or plugged into an outlet, can save lives.
Carbon monoxide, an odourless gas, is potentially deadly and occurs when combustibles in furnaces, gas fireplaces and water heaters aren’t burning correctly. Without a detector, there really is no way to know the gas is building up in one’s home.
“We believe it’s a positive step,” Hay said. “Thunder Bay Fire Rescue, along with other chiefs in the province have been advocating for carbon monoxide as an additional safeguard in the home. We want to have a safe environment in everyone’s home, and we believe that is step in that direction.”
The legislation, which passed third reading at Queen’s Park on Wednesday, still must get royal assent before entering into law.
Hay said this likely means it will come into effect on July 1, 2014, should this final step occur.
When it does, the fire chief said there will likely be a phase-in period to allow homeowners to comply, and while checks will be done, fines won’t be issued right away.
“Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas. It’s odourless, colourless and tasteless in its truest form. The hazards are it interferes with oxygen in the blood. But it manifests with headaches, light-headedness. And the effects are cumulative,” Hay said.
“So it’s not just a one day event. The value of having the carbon monoxide detectors are you won’t have the cumulative effects from a high exposure and it won’t go on and on.”
A quick online scan show detectors come in all shapes and sizes, and range in price from $20 to $100 and more.
Hay said he expects inspections can be done at the same time firefighters inspect for working smoke alarms, which are also mandatory in people’s homes, but combined with new legislation rolling out in January for care occupancies and retirement homes facilities, it may require additional staffing.
The latter work must be carried out by prevention staff.
“It’s going to add quite a bit of workload as the program gets up and running. As the years go by, there will be additional requirements that will have to be enforced by the fire departments in Ontario,” Hay said.
“We’re working on that business case right now on how we’re going to manage both these new initiatives in the coming year,” Hay said.
The bill was first introduced in 2008 by Progressive Conservative MP Ernie Hardeman (Oxford).
