With a chill in the air and what's been a very busy week for city firefighters so far, the importance of having a working carbon monoxide alarm is being promoted.
John Gignac, a retired Brantford fire captain and executive director of the Hawkins-Gignac Foundation, visited Sarnia Fire and Rescue's East Street station Tuesday morning to mark CO awareness week.
"Back in 2008, I was still on the fire department and we had a tragic accident in the family, we lost my niece, her husband and both their children to carbon monoxide in the home," said Gignac. "They did not have a CO alarm and I feel bad about that today. So, that's why I'm out here passionate about spreading the word about carbon monoxide safety."
The gas fireplace exhaust system malfunctioned, sending the lethal gas into the Woodstock home of OPP Safety Officer Laurie Hawkins, her husband Richard and children Cassandra and Jordan.
The tragedy led to the Hawkins-Gignac Act, which was passed by the Ontario government with unanimous support in 2014.
"With the help of Ernie Hardeman, the MPP for Oxford County, we passed a law and now it's mandatory that every home in Ontario, with fuel burning appliances and an attached garage, has a CO alarm."
Gignac said the goal is preventing future incidents and education is a key part of that.
"We're up to 75 per cent (compliance) from 20 per cent years ago, but it's that 20 per cent of the people I'm worried about. They need to get a CO alarm put in their home. We're (also) finding that a lot of people that think they're protected, they're not, because their alarms are too old and they need to replace them."
Sarnia Fire Chief Bryan Van Gaver said they respond to about 200 carbon monoxide calls each year, with gas or wood fireplaces, gas furnaces, water heaters, stoves and portable generators common sources.
"We investigate them," said Van Gaver. "If we discover elevated levels of CO, a lot of times we'll shut off appliances, we'll call Union Gas (Enbridge), is it a venting problem or an appliance problem, that's where they come in and make that determination, but for us it's all about getting the people out safely."
In addition to installing a carbon monoxide alarm, residents are encouraged to replace them every 7 to 10 years and have a TSSA-certified professional inspect your appliances each year.
More information on carbon monoxide safety can be found at endthesilence.ca and cosafety.ca.
