Guelph, Ont. couple credits CO detector with saving their lives

A couple is crediting the carbon monoxide detector in their Guelph, Ont. home for saving their lives.

It started with a quiet Sunday afternoon for Alan Yee and his wife.

“[The detector] started announcing: ‘Carbon monoxide detected, carbon monoxide detected,’” Yee told CTV News.

He wondered if the device might have malfunctioned.

“We’ve been here in this house for 14 years and it’s never sent off that message,” he explained.

Yee then decided to open the windows to get fresh air into his home.

The couple’s daughter wasn’t home at the time, but their two dogs were. Just to be safe, they phoned 911.

“They advised to get out of the house,” Yee said.

So that’s exactly what they did.

Within minutes, the Guelph Fire Department arrived to investigate. Yee and his wife were surprised by what they were eventually found out.

“That just caused my wife and I to look at each other like: ‘Wow, we really were in a situation where there was a [gas] leak in the house.’”

Since CO is odourless, colourless and tasteless, the warning signs weren’t there. But the risk of exposure can have severe consequences.

“[It] would start with flu-like symptoms, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and, depending on the levels of CO, that could go right to unconsciousness and unfortunately, even death,” explained Matt Valeriote, the assistant chief fire prevention officer with the Guelph Fire Department.

In December 2023, a man died from carbon monoxide poisoning after a car was left running in the garage of a Kitchener, Ont. home. The fire department said there were no working carbon monoxide detectors in the house.

Safety tips from the fire department

Valeriote shared from safety tips with CTV News.

“We [advise homeowners] to test their alarms monthly, change their batteries annually and replace the alarms in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.”

The shelf life of CO detectors ranges anywhere from five to 10 years, depending on the model.

Fire officials say if the alarm does sound on a detector, you should call emergency services and immediately leave your home.

“But keep the windows and doors closed because that will provide us with an opportunity to detect the presence of CO in your home,” Valeriote added.

The Ontario Fire Code regulates the installation and maintenance of carbon monoxide alarms

“If your home contains a fuel burning appliance such as a natural gas furnace, water heater, stove dryer, an oil-based furnace, a wood burning fireplace or an attached garage, you do require CO alarms to be located adjacent and to all sleeping areas in your home, and they must function at all times,” Valeriote explained.

As for rental properties, the landlord is responsible for the installation and maintenance of CO alarms.

“This cannot be passed along to the tenant in the form of a lease. Some landlords think they can have the tenant take responsibility for the installation and maintenance of CO alarms by writing it up in the lease,” Valeriote said. “The Ontario Fire Code would supersede that lease.”

‘Don’t take these detectors for granted’

Yee is grateful his CO detector was working. He also thanks the Guelph Fire Department for their quick action and guidance to make sure his family got out safely, as well as for their advice going forward.

It’s prompted him to go around checking all the alarms in his home and to continue checking to make sure they’re in good working order.

Yee wants his experience to serve as an example to others.

“Don’t take these detectors for granted. If they go off, they’re detecting something for a reason.”