Brian Schaeffer, Assistant Chief, No Phone Number Available
Wednesday, February 5, 2014 at 10:25 a.m.
Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning results in 20,000 emergency room visits and up to 500 deaths annually. To respond to these overwhelming numbers, the Washington State Legislature passed a law requiring all rental units to have CO detectors installed by Jan. 1, 2013. This legislation was a progressive leap forward in protecting Spokane citizens. Now the Spokane Fire Department is testing a new project that will provide more access to CO and smoke detectors.
We received a FEMA grant through the Washington State Association of Fire Marshals to begin a pilot project that will provide limited income households in Spokane with more access to CO and smoke detectors. As a part of this project we will install these lifesaving and code required devices and after installation we will provide a home safety check to help individuals and families plan an emergency escape route.
A test run of this project is currently underway to work out any issues and create a program that is effective and efficient. Once the program is perfected we will begin bringing CO and Smoke detectors into local low-income homes and working with citizens to create a safer and smarter Spokane.
We look forward to working with the community to make this program a success when testing is complete. If you have any questions or want to learn more about this project, contact Jan Doherty by email at JDoherty@spokanecity.org or call 509.625.7058.
