Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week

Carbon Monoxide (CO) Awareness Week runs November 1 to 7, and LaSalle Fire Service is reminding everyone to recognize the health risks and danger CO poses with tips, suggestions, and advice on how to protect your family and stay safe. 

Each year, communities across Ontario recognize CO Awareness Week to promote the use of CO alarms and to educate Ontarians about CO including how to prevent exposure, the health hazards of CO poisoning, and what to do in the event of a CO leak.  

“Having a working CO alarm in your home is the surest way to know you and your family are protected from exposure and injury from a CO leak,” said Fire Chief Ed Thiessen. “CO is a colourless, odourless, and tasteless gas making it impossible to detect without a working CO alarm.”  

By law, in Ontario, CO alarms are required to be installed outside all sleeping areas of homes with a fuel-burning appliance, fireplace, or attached garage.  

The new Fire Code requirements coming into effect on January 1, 2026, will expand CO alarm installation in:  

• Existing Homes: Alarms will now be required on every storey, not just near sleeping areas.  

• Multi-Unit Residential Buildings: CO alarms must be installed in all suites meeting certain conditions, service rooms, and, in some cases, public corridors.  

• Care Occupancies: This includes residential care facilities and certain group homes, where CO alarms will be required in suites and common areas.  

These changes are designed to better protect vulnerable populations and ensure CO alarms are placed where risks are highest.   

“The importance of having a carbon monoxide alarm installed outside all sleeping areas and the role it plays in preventing deaths cannot be stressed enough,” says Jon Pegg, Ontario’s Fire Marshal. “The law is in place to save lives and only a working carbon monoxide alarm will identify the presence of a carbon monoxide leak in your home before it’s too late.”  

LaSalle Fire Service reminds everyone that CO exposure can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, breathlessness, collapse, loss of consciousness, and death. Safety starts with awareness – practice the following and protect yourself and loved ones from carbon monoxide:  

• Test CO alarms each month and change the batteries at least once a year using Daylight Saving Time changes as a reminder.  

• Have fuel-burning appliances – furnace, gas stove, fireplace – annually inspected by a trained, certified technician to check for a leak at the source. 

• Ensure all chimneys and vents are clean and clear of obstructions. 

• If a CO alarm activates or you suspect someone in your home has symptoms of CO poisoning, immediately go outside and call 9-1-1.  

• Never use a barbecue, portable fuel-burning camping equipment, or gas-powered generators indoors.  

To learn about Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week, follow LaSalle Fire Service on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). For more information, visit http://www.cosafety.ca/