MISSOULA - Free carbon monoxide detectors are being given out by Missoula County, with the help of local fire districts and departments.
Officials are looking to raise awareness about the dangers of the colorless, odorless gas.
Carbon monoxide (CO) can be emitted from furnaces, stoves and water heaters in homes, RVs and mobile homes. Any enclosed space is susceptible to carbon monoxide poisoning, especially during the winter.
Carbon monoxide poisoning kills more than 400 Americans each year, and in 2021, more than 17,000 hospital emergency room cases were due to CO poisoning. According to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Montana ranks third in the nation for CO-related deaths per capita.
“There is no reason anyone in our community should be dying from carbon monoxide poisoning,” said Missoula County building official Dave Larkin said. “This campaign was borne out of a hope to save lives and increase awareness of this deadly gas.”
People can contact the Missoula County Building Division at 406-258-3701 for more information about how to pick up a detector. There are about 160 detectors and will the Missoula and Frenchtown rural fire districts have offered to help distribute the detectors to rural areas of the county.
The free detectors are made possible thanks to donations from NorthWestern Energy, the Bonner Mill and the Missoula County Building Division.
