Stay Safe and Informed: Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week Kick Off
Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week runs from Saturday, November 1 to Friday, November 7, 2025. This awareness week is recognized across Ontario to highlight the deadly dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) and stress the importance of having working CO alarms in homes to save lives.
Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless, and tasteless gas that is lethal and undetectable without a working CO alarm. Each year, Ontario records multiple deaths from accidental exposure to CO – lives that could have been saved with the installation of a working CO alarm.
Since 2014, CO alarms have been required by Ontario law outside all sleeping areas in homes with fuel-fired appliances, fireplaces or garages. Ontario is expanding these requirements in the new year to further protect residents from CO exposure.
Starting January 1, 2026, homes that contain a fuel-fired appliance, fireplace, attached garage, or that receive heated air from a fuel-fired appliance located outside the home (such as in a utility shed), will be required to have CO alarms installed on every storey of the home, including storeys with and without sleeping areas.
Expanded CO alarm requirements will also apply to multi-unit residential buildings such as apartment buildings, condominiums, hotels/motels, and retirement homes. In addition, CO alarms will now be mandatory in buildings that contain care occupancies where residents require special care and need assistance to evacuate during an emergency.
Under the Fire Code, carbon monoxide alarms are permitted to be hardwired, battery-operated, or plug-in devices. Many devices on the market are combined units that include both a smoke alarm and CO alarm in one device.
Windsor Fire & Rescue Services reminds everyone that carbon monoxide exposure can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, breathlessness, collapse, loss of consciousness, and death. Safety starts with awareness – practice the following and protect yourself and loved ones from carbon monoxide:
- Test carbon monoxide alarms each month and change the batteries at least once a year using Daylight Savings Time changes as a reminder (“change your clocks, change your batteries”).
- If a carbon monoxide alarm activates or you suspect someone in your home has symptoms of CO poisoning, immediately go outside and call 9-1-1.
- Know the difference between the sound of the CO alarm and the smoke alarm, and each alarm’s low-battery signals. If the audible low-battery signal sounds, replace the batteries, or replace the device.
- CO alarms are not substitutes for smoke alarms, and vice versa. Know the difference.
- Ensure all fuel-burning appliances, heating systems and fireplaces are inspected and cleaned by a qualified technician annually. This is particularly important in the colder months when these appliances are used more frequently. If an unknown leak or blockage has developed, CO exposure in the home could occur. Find a registered contractor at COSafety.ca.
- Keep exhaust vents and chimneys clear of bird and squirrel nests, leaves, and other debris to ensure proper ventilation and routine operation of appliances.
- Never use barbecues, portable fuel-burning camping equipment, or gas-powered generators indoors, including inside the garage.
For information on CO alarm maintenance and more, contact Windsor Fire & Rescue Services or visit the Government of Ontario’s Carbon monoxide safety webpage.
Quotes:
“Carbon monoxide is a silent and dangerous threat that can only be detected by a working alarm. Having one in every home helps protect our families, our neighbours, and our community.” — James Waffle, Fire Chief, Windsor Fire and Rescue Services
“Carbon monoxide poisoning is serious and lethal and there is no excuse to not take the necessary steps to protect yourself and your family. Because only a CO alarm will alert you to exposure, I’m pleased that we are expanding protection in Ontario to prevent CO injuries and deaths with these new Fire Code requirements.” — Jon Pegg, Ontario Fire Marshal