DARTMOUTH – A Dartmouth family says they owe their lives to a carbon monoxide detector that picked up a deadly gas leak during a snowstorm last month and allowed everyone to escape unharmed.
Reza Kashiloo awoke March 18 to a faint beeping sound, and when he went downstairs to see what it was, the phone rang.
“The agent from the alarm company said there was carbon monoxide detected in the house in the furnace room,” he said.
He was told to get all seven family members out of the house, but a snow from a storm had blocked the front exit. They went upstairs, opened windows, and waited for firefighters to arrive.
Snow was also blocking the vent from his furnace, which had caused the backup of carbon monoxide in the house.
Carbon monoxide is an odourless, colourless gas. Each year, 50 Canadians die from carbon monoxide poisoning. Earlier this month in the United States, seven members of the same family died in Maryland from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Reza his wife Valerie now hope the building code allows them to raise their vent.
“Usually, every time we get a snowstorm on this street, the wind is coming from this side,” he said. “So it always piles up the snow on this side of the house.”
The alarm system wasn’t working after renovations just a few months ago, but the problem was discovered just in time.
“It was really good timing that we had the issue fixed and the system was working fine and basically saved our lives,” said Reza.
Valerie said she realizes they were lucky to get out alive, and praised the fire department for its quick response.
“I’ve heard that it was the silent killer,” she said. “Usually you just fall asleep and don’t wake up.”
On Friday, ADT, the company that was monitoring the carbon monoxide levels, presented Halifax Fire with a $5,000 cheque for its “Alarmed and Ready” program, which provides free smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to the public.
Reza said everyone should have a carbon monoxide detector in their home.
“I believe it’s one of the necessary items you need to have in your house, if you have a source of heating that could generate carbon monoxide.”
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