WEST SENECA, NY (WKBW) -- With the passing of the new 'Amanda's Law' in New York State, which requires all homes to have a working CO detector, a number of organizations are teaming up to distribute free detectors.
Through a new public safety education effort by the Firemen's Association of the State of New York (FASNY), the Reserve Hose Volunteer Fire Company and 'The Home Depot', Reserve Hose Volunteer Fire Company will hold a special safety workshop with carbon monoxide (CO) detector giveaways.
The workshop will be held Saturday, March 13th from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 'The Home Depot' at 1881 Ridge Road in West Seneca.
Firefighters will be on hand to provide safety advice and tips on proper CO detector installation and maintenance. The event will also include fire trucks, distribution of recruitment materials, product demonstrations, and a kids’ workshop where children will receive a Kidde Danger Ranger educational DVD.
Various CO detector workshops will take place throughout the state on March 6th to not only raise awareness of the importance of carbon monoxide safety, but also to shed light on the new piece of legislation, known as “Amanda’s Law,” which went into effect on February 22nd. The law requires that a CO detector be installed in nearly all residential structures in the state of NY, regardless of the date of a building’s construction or sale.
The law was named after 16-year old Amanda Hansen of West Seneca, just outside Buffalo, who lost her life due to carbon monoxide leaking from a defective boiler. She died on January 17, 2009 while sleeping at a friend’s house. Each year in America, carbon monoxide poisoning claims approximately 480 lives and sends another 15,200 people to hospital emergency rooms for treatment, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.
Amanda’s Law requires that CO detectors meet New York State standards and be installed in operable condition in dwellings where there are appliances or systems that may emit carbon monoxide, or have an attached garage. The law makes an exception for homes that use combustion-free energy sources, such as electric for heating and cooking, and have no potential sources of carbon monoxide, i.e. an attached garage.
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