Pass Law in Connecticut to Protect Kids from Fires, Carbon Monoxide Poisoning - A Must-Do by Wednesday
Posted by:
Anthony Green
at May 07, 2012 12:00 AM CDT
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Advocacy
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 THE ISSUE
Fire and carbon monoxide (CO), the silent killer, were especially cruel for the people of Connecticut during the past winter. A bill, H.B. 5394, that could save lives from these dangers is at risk of collapsing if the legislature does not act before they adjourn this week.
WHERE WE ARE
Leaders in Hartford have been responsive to the calls for action. Connecticut is far-sighted in already requiring smoke and CO alarms in new construction. Present law requires detectors in homes built since 2005 but 96% of housing units in the state were built before 2005. In response to recent tragedies (see below), legislation has progressed through the legislature that would require alarms for fire and CO in Connecticut homes. The House bill passed in committee and is ready for consideration, but the legislature is planning to adjourn for the year on Wednesday. We must get word to legislators to pass the bill, now!
KEY FACTS
- Following an unusually early snowstorm in October 2011, at least 322 people were poisoned by carbon monoxide throughout Connecticut because people used unsafe ways to heat their homes. Among the eight people who died was a one-year-old who died in Meriden, CT.
- On Christmas morning 2011, a fire killed three girls (9-year-old Lily and twin sisters Grace and Sarah, who were 7) and their grandparents in a Stamford, CT in a home undergoing renovation in which the fire alarms were not yet installed.
TAKE ACTION
If you are from Connecticut, use the Safe Kids talking points to send an email to your legislators. You can obtain the email address here to send an email to your State Senator and Member of the General Assembly. If you are from located outside the state but are concerned with children’s safety, you can send an email to Speaker of the House Christopher G. Donovan and Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney.
TALKING POINTS
- It is vital that the Connecticut legislature pass the bill it is considering to require carbon monoxide and fire detectors in single-family homes.
- The Legislature is expected to adjourn for the year this week and this will be the last chance to pass the law before another Connecticut winter.
- Children and senior citizens are especially vulnerable to fire and carbon monoxide poisoning as the tragedies of the past winter demonstrate.
- Connecticut has been a national leader in giving first responders the legal tools to prevent fires and CO poisoning, and the passage of this law would continue this record of far-sighted leadership.
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