BRK Brands/First Alert urges focus on carbon monoxide education and responder training.

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Feb. 21, 1996 -- BRK Brands, Inc., manufacturers of First Alert brand carbon monoxide (CO) detectors, urged the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to pursue increased consumer education activities and support training of fire departments to resolve issues concerning the proper use of carbon monoxide detectors.

During testimony at public hearings on CO detectors Feb. 21 and 22, at CPSC headquarters in Bethesda, Md., Jim Amtmann, president and chief operating officer of BRK Brands, Inc., said that news reports indicated at least 1,200 lives have been saved by carbon monoxide detectors in the last 16 months. Additionally, the company reported it has received 3,458 unsolicited letters and phone calls from customers who contacted BRK to express gratitude that their CO detector saved their family's lives.

"Carbon monoxide detectors have proven themselves to be an important home safety device that is helping prevent needless deaths and injuries from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning," Amtmann said. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, carbon monoxide exposure is the leading cause of accidental poisoning fatalities in the U.S., claiming at least 1,500 lives each year and another 10,000 cases of documented health injuries.

Industry reports indicate that carbon monoxide detectors are now in approximately six percent of the nation's households. By comparison, smoke detectors, which have been available for 25 years, are now in nearly 90 percent of homes.

"Carbon monoxide detectors are designed to provide the public with an early warning that carbon monoxide is building up in the home before poisoning symptoms develop," Amtmann reported.

However, sources of carbon monoxide can be elusive for fire departments who respond to 911 calls on CO alarms. Carbon monoxide is invisible to human senses and can be monitored only with special metering equipment. As well, homes often contain a variety of possible sources including appliances like gas ovens and furnaces, airflow problems with flue systems that under normal conditions vent exhaust outside the building, blocked chimney or flue pipe, or even a car left running in an attached garage. "Specialized training is required to properly equip responders so they have the means to successfully investigate for the cause of an alarm," Amtmann said.

According to First Alert officials, without training and CO detection equipment, locating the cause of an alarm can be difficult. "It takes persistence, knowledge of potential CO sources and following systematic investigation procedures to identify the culprit. We've learned that training makes a big difference in the ability of responders to determine what caused a carbon monoxide detector to activate," Amtmann explained.

In January of 1995 First Alert provided the International Association of Fire Chiefs with a grant to develop the first national training program for fire departments on how to handle carbon monoxide detector alarms. The company said to date, 132 training sessions have been held in 32 states. The project's goal is to reach over 60,000 fire service training personnel in two years.

First Alert officials told the Commission they support the current Underwriters Laboratory Standard 2034 governing the performance of CO detectors and urged the CPSC to give products that meet the standard's requirements more time in the marketplace before attempting to evaluate the standard's effectiveness.

"We believe the standard ultimately determines how much carbon monoxide the public will be exposed to before detectors signal a warning," Amtmann said. "Therefore any changes to alarm thresholds should be made cautiously and include consultation with the medical community."

According to toxicologists and current medical literature, carbon monoxide can be a problem at lower concentrations to segments of the population including unborn babies, infants, children, the elderly and those with heart or lung disorders.

The American Heart Association reports nearly 59 million Americans have one or more forms of heart disease, and U.S. Census data states there are approximately 19.2 million children under the age of five in the U.S. "Together, the at-risk populations constitute a significant percentage of our total population," Amtmann said. "The current UL standard alarm threshold recognize the needs of these more sensitive groups."

First Alert cited recent news reports of 17 deaths and 344 injuries attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning during the recent mid-January blizzard in eastern states as why prevention education should be a top priority coming out of the hearings. The more consumers understand the hazards posed by carbon monoxide poisoning and how to protect their families, the more we will be able to reduce and hopefully eliminate these unwanted statistics," Amtmann said.

CONTACT: Debbie Hanson, 312/337-7773 or Gigi Lubin, Bob

Wheatley, Hyatt Regency Bethesda 301/657-1234