Fit a Carbon Monoxide Alarm in Your Home and Check Your Landlord has Fitted one

Shocking research out today finds that parents are still failing to protect their families with a basic Carbon Monoxide alarm.

Findings from the Carbon Monoxide Be-Alarmed! campaign show that although the average UK parent spends £222 on child safety items, 33 per cent – a third of parents – said they do not have a carbon monoxide alarm in their homes. Worse still, parents with children under one year of age were the least likely to fit the vital safety alarm.

Carbon monoxide kills. It is produced when gas, oil, coal, wood and charcoal do not burn completely, with household appliances such as poorly maintained boilers or cookers being the worst offenders. Burning these fuels in poorly ventilated areas such as tents and sheds for warmth is another way carbon monoxide kills. It can also build up when chimneys or vents are blocked.

“Carbon monoxide is known as the silent killer because you cannot see it, taste it or smell it so an alarm can be life-saving,” says Lawrence Slade, spokesperson for the CO Be Alarmed! campaign.

“Protect yourself and your family from this silent killer by getting an alarm today.”

Over 50 people die every year from carbon monoxide poisoning with a further 4000 treated in hospital.

The top ten safety features parents bought for their youngest child were found to be:

1. Car seats 78 per cent
2. Stairgate 74 per cent
3. Baby monitor 68 per cent
4. Plug covers 56 per cent
5. Cupboards and drawer locks 51 per cent
6. Smoke Alarm 51 per cent
7. Carbon Monoxide Alarm 42 per cent
8. Bed Rails 41 per cent
9. Room Thermometer 36 per cent
10. Window Locks 35 per cent

The Co Be-Alarmed! campaign is urging people to think carefully about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and follow their ABC checklist:

Do you have an Alarm fitted?
Have you tested it and are the Batteries working?
Have you had an up to date gas Check?

Do you rent a property? The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 now require private sector landlords to have at least one smoke alarm installed on every storey of their properties and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room containing a solid fuel burning appliance and make sure the alarms are in working order at the start of each new tenancy. They are also required to carry out an annual gas safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

For more information, visit: www.co-bealarmed.co.uk