Despite their importance to fuel-burning homes, Bancroft’s Deputy Fire Chief Bancroft says residents still don’t know how critical they are.
Deputy Chief Matt Musclow says, unlike smoke detectors, there is a lack of knowledge among residents in town about where they are required. To mark Carbon Monoxide Safety Week, he and the department want to ensure that everyone in Bancroft knows what they’re doing with their carbon monoxide alarms.
As a rule, any home that burns fuel to heat needs a CO alarm. This includes heaters that use propane, natural gas, heating oil or wood. Musclow says you can pick up the alarms from any store that sells home appliances, and that the fire department only gives them out in emergency situations. With symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning similar to things like the flu, you won’t know you’re being poisoned unless you have an alarm in your home.
In addition, with Daylight Savings Time on November 6th, Musclow is urging residents to check the batteries in smoke alarms and make sure the smoke alarm isn’t expired.