Heating season and the risks of Carbon Monoxide

The cold weather has finally hit, and the furnace is rumbling to life in the basement, so now’s the time to think about installing monitored carbon monoxide (CO) detectors in your home.

Often called the silent killer, CO is a colorless, odorless gas that can be fatal in high concentrations. Any home that uses a combustible fuel, whether it’s oil, gas, wood, pellets or kerosene needs to have CO detectors for protection.

In Massachusetts, CO detectors are required by law to be installed on every level of a dwelling, and to be within 10 feet of any bedroom. Several types of CO detectors are allowed under the regulations, but by far, the safest approach is to have low-voltage monitored CO detectors integrated into your American Alarm security system.

Carbon monoxide causes people to become ill, disoriented and eventually unconscious, so they may not be able to respond to the audible alarm from a CO detector. With our monitored CO detectors the staff at our 24-hour Security Command Center is always at the ready, 24-7, 365 days a year, to respond to a CO alarm at your home. Our protocol is simple: as soon as we see a CO signal, we will call for the fire department to respond. Time is of the essence when CO is building up, so we call for help immediately.

If you have any questions about CO detectors, or would like to schedule an installation, please call 781-859-2400.