Fire department offers free carbon monoxide detectors

The Pittsburg Fire Department has been awarded a $2,500 Walmart Community Grant to purchase 125 battery-operated carbon monoxide (CO) detectors. The CO detectors will be made available at no cost to Pittsburg residents.

Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas referred to as the “invisible killer” because of its colorless, odorless nature. This gas is created when fuels such as gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane, oil and methane burn incompletely. Heating and cooking equipment that burns fuel can also be a source of carbon monoxide.

The Pittsburg Fire Department responded to 23 carbon monoxide incidents from August 2017 to August 2018. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CO poisoning was responsible for nearly 400 deaths in 2015 alone, with 36 percent of those incidents occurring in December, January or February.

The carbon monoxide detectors are now available free of charge at the Pittsburg Fire Department, while supplies last. Property owners are responsible for acquiring CO detectors for commercial or rental properties.

For more information, contact the Pittsburg Fire Department at (620) 231-1870.