Security Seeker for Home & Business Owners

Weston, CT, EMTs Want CO Detectors in Every Home

Emergency workers in Weston, CT, are moving closer to their goal of equipping every house in Weston with a carbon monoxide detector by Thanksgiving of this year.

Lou Dempsey of the Weston Volunteer Fire Department and Fire Chief John Pokorny told the Board of Selectmen last Thursday, April 2, that representatives from the fire department, EMS, and police have been discussing an awareness program that includes ultimately equipping every home in Weston with the life-saving detectors.

Mr. Dempsey explained that on Thanksgiving night this past year, his wife’s sister, brother-in-law, and their two children died of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning while on vacation in Colorado. The house they were staying in — they had won the trip at a charity auction — was not equipped with carbon monoxide detectors.
“We want to prevent this from happening to anyone else,” Mr. Dempsey said. 

The town is partnering with Kidde, the largest manufacturer of CO detectors. Kidde has agreed to donate about 200 detectors for those who cannot afford one, and the company will sell the rest at a 30% discount, for a total cost of about $40,000.

Reacting to “the look on your faces,” Chief Pokorny laughed and told the selectmen, “Don’t worry, we’re not asking for money. You can relax.”

Mr. Dempsey said they are planning to fund the project from “sources we are identifying now,” including the Kiwanis Club of Weston, the Paul Newman Fund, and the Weston Women’s Club. The fire department will purchase the detectors and volunteers will install them.

Mr. Dempsey estimated that about 30% of homes in Weston already have carbon monoxide detectors. The fire department is developing a plan to identify those houses in town that do not. 

Because building codes in Connecticut do not include any requirement to have CO detectors, the group is hoping to create a town ordinance that would do so. And then, they hope to bring the idea to other towns.

“We’re really trying to make a plan others could use. We want to expand this. We want to go as far as we can,” Chief Pokorny said.

Selectman Glenn Major asked that information on the proposed ordinance be brought before the board as soon as possible so as to expedite the process. “The process to have that approved takes a couple of months,” he said.

Chief Pokorny said they were close to working out the details on the ordinance.

Due in large part to the deaths of Ms. Dempsey’s sister and her family, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter just signed legislation into law requiring CO detectors in most new homes in that state. The measure requires all homes and apartment buildings offered for sale after July 1 to have carbon monoxide detectors near bedrooms.

Homeowners and apartment owners also will have to install detectors if they complete any major renovations or additions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that about 500 people die each year in the United States from carbon monoxide poisoning. It can be caused by a malfunctioning furnace, water heater or stove, or by objects blocking a flue.