Unitil, an electric and gas provider in New England, is partnering with the Lunenburg Fire Department to remind residents to check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors this fall.

"The fall is the ideal time to test and replace batteries in all detectors." Lunenburg Fire Chief Pat Sullivan said, adding Massachusetts law requires a working detector on every level of a home or business.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas found in combustion fumes that can cause sudden illness and death to occupants. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year more than 400 Americans die from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning not linked to fires, more than 100,000 visit the emergency room, and more than 14,000 are hospitalized.

Cars and trucks, small gasoline engines, stoves, lanterns, gas ranges, water heaters and all heating systems produce carbon monoxide. Sullivan said that many of the calls they receive are for gas grills, generators and even automobiles that are operated too closely to the home or garage.

"The number of calls during storms is greater since people place these items under a deck or near open garage doors, but carbon monoxide can quickly seep into the home," Sullivan said. "It is important to test and make sure the detectors are in good working order. I also can't over emphasize that natural gas, propane and oil-fired appliances should be serviced annually to make sure they are in good working order. We had eight carbon monoxide incidents in 2023 and six so far in 2024 that weren't false alarms. I believe all of them were found due to carbon monoxide detectors."

The fire chief noted that the town of Lunenburg has a program that provides free smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for its senior citizens that have financial hardship.

During 2023, Unitil responded to 66 carbon monoxide calls for all its service territories, with the majority of their calls due to out of date carbon monoxide detectors and faulty appliances such as cooking stoves, boilers and water heaters.

"Over a third of poisonings occur from December through February. The symptoms for elevated levels of carbon monoxide include headaches, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting or confusion. If you or someone in your family is experiencing symptoms, everyone in the house needs to leave the home immediately and then call 911," said Unitil External Affairs Director Alec O'Meara.

For more information on carbon monoxide poisoning, visit Unitil's Carbon Monoxide Poisoning webpage.