Jeannette’s career firefighters are using weekly fundraisers to get carbon monoxide detectors into city homes.
The Jeannette Firefighter’s Association Local 78 has purchased 50 detectors with $1,000 in donations and a new program connecting them with homes in need is underway. Such detectors are required in rental properties subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
But firefighters rarely see them in other rental units or single-family homes, said Fire Chief Bill Frye.
“We decided that we would try to do something to bridge the gap there and provide them to anybody that wants them,” he said.
He and fellow full-time firefighters and union members Joe Matijevic and Josh Rettger have been doing raffles on the Local 78 Facebook page to raise money for the purchase. They plan to make the program a permanent one.
Last year, firefighters rescued a woman from a Clay Avenue apartment who had carbon monoxide poisoning. She survived but Frye said it’s a renewed concern as the weather gets colder.
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that can be deadly, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Symptoms of poisoning tend to be similar to that of the flu — headache, dizziness, vomiting and chest pain. Carbon monoxide can build up indoors from fumes related to burning fuel in a number of ways including vehicles, grills, gas ranges or furnaces.
Four people died from carbon monoxide poisoning in Westmoreland County between 2018 and 2019, according to coroner annual reports. In 2018, one person died after a furnace malfunctioned.
The following year, two people died after a vehicle was left running in a garage and a third person was poisoned after using a gas-powered power washer inside a garage, according to coroner reports.
Jeannette firefighters plan to distribute carbon monoxide detectors this week based on requests, Frye said. They will handle installation for anyone who needs help.
“We feel it’s important that every house has one and we’re going to do our part to make sure that that happens,” he said.
The fundraisers are likely to continue to help firefighters find other ways to give back to the community. Any city renter or homeowner who wants a free carbon monoxide detector can call the fire department at 724-527-4021.
