ALARMS

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas. It can sneak into the air…silently. You won’t know it’s there because it’s invisible, odorless and tasteless. CO can make people and pets really sick, or worse.

But good news! There’s something that will keep watch over the air in your home and sound an alert if CO tries to sneak in:

A Carbon Monoxide

Alarm!

All homes need CO alarms. It’s best to have one on every level, especially near bedrooms (so the alarm can be sure to wake everyone up if they are sleeping when it goes off).

Do you have CO alarms where you live? Ask your parents to help you find the alarms in your home. Not all alarms look the same, but CO alarms have “Carbon Monoxide Alarm” printed on the front.

COOL FACT: Did you know that canaries worked as the first CO alarms? A long time ago they helped save the lives of coal miners by warning them when dangerous CO invaded the air. Today, 5 out of 5 canaries recommend having CO alarms in all homes. Find out more on our Canaries page

Home Safe

Airy’s HomeSafe flyer shows where to have CO alarms. Click here to print (print an extra to give to your Grandma and Grandpa or someone else you know who might not know about CO alarms)

JenkinsFoundation2024_HomeChart_FULL_THEFINAL(Print) v3

Click here to print a pdf file of the Spanish version.

Smoke and CO Alarms

Save Lives

All homes need both CO alarms and smoke alarms. They do different things:

• Co alarms sound an alert when there’s carbond monoxide in the air

• Smoke alarms sound an alert when there’s fire

Know the Alarm Sounds

Did you know CO alarms and smoke alarms also sound different?

Smoke alarms alert in a 3-beep pattern
CO alarms alert in a 4-beep pattern
Some alarms speak a voice alert along with the alert tones

Smoke alarm alert tones sound like this:

CO alarm alert tones sound like this:

What sound do your CO alarms make when they are warning of CO in the air? Ask your parents to help you find out (they can press the “Test” button on the alarm to hear the alert tone).

If your alarm ever makes the warning sound for CO everyone needs to hurry and get outside to fresh air, then call 911!

Firefighters will come with special equipment and make sure the CO gets out of your house. They will help figure out
how the CO got into your home, and they will tell you when it’s safe to go back inside.

Remember to pack an alarm with you if you’re spending the night away from home, like at a friend’s house or a hotel.

Other important places to have alarms:

Boats
RV/camper/trailer
Tent

Download a printable copy of the TravelSafe flyer showing other locations away from home where it’s important to have alarms. Download the English version here.

Download the Spanish version here.