On a more serious note

Submitted by on 7 April 2010 – 08:2019 Comments

Last month I was very saddened to hear of the death of a former colleague. She was bright and beautiful and talented and she had recently returned from honeymoon.

Katie died from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.

Getting a carbon monoxide alarm was one of those things that was always on our 'to do' list. We have a smoke alarm of course but had never got round to getting a carbon monoxide alarm. You read about people dying from carbon monoxide poisoning and you think 'yes, must get an alarm' but then you forget. You think 'it will never happen to me'.

But then I heard about Katie.

So today I'm making a plea. If you don't have a carbon monoxide detector, please get one – this one by Ei Electronics, for example is available from Homebase, and it's incredibly easy to install (you can also buy alarms from Argos  and BandQ). And if you have one already, please check the batteries, or if it's one of those card ones, check it doesn't need replacing.

*For more information on safety in the home, visit ChildAlert  .

written by Liz Jarvis

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  • Liz@VioletPosy

    I’m so sorry to hear about your friend. You know what I’ve been meaning to buy one for weeks – I will today x

  • mumm bear

    We have just fitted a smoke alarm but I shall prompt my husband immediately to fit a CM alarm too. Thank you for raising awareness to us. I am so sorry that you have lost a friend and colleague. its so sad.

  • Karin @ Cafe Bebe

    Thanks for the very important reminder Liz. We do have one but I will check the batteries. We should all do the same with our fire alarms as well.

  • Mummy’s Little Monkey

    I bought one when Lucia was born – after reading the tragic story of the UK family overcome by carbon monoxide in their Greek holiday home, where the two children died. It’s such an insidious and preventable killer.

  • Rachael @ marathonmummy

    I’m sorry for the loss of your friend, Liz. What a terribly sad story. You’re right – carbon monoxide alarms do save lives – we have one, but I’ll remind my friends to make sure they have one too.

  • tiddlyompompom

    Sorry to hear about your friend. Thanks for posting this though. We are moving house on Friday to a house with an old boiler. We have a toddler and a baby due in 4 weeks, and you have reminded me to get an alarm. Will be getting one this afternoon.

  • gigi

    How awful. We’ve got an alarm, again like the writer of one of the previous comments, we got ours after the tragic case of the children who died in Greece. It’s important to keep reminding people, one death is one too many.

  • Karen@If I Could Escape

    How sad. I’m so sorry to read about the loss of your friend.

  • Laura Lambert

    So sorry to hear about your friend. I also think it is so important to check your smoke alarms regularly. I hadn’t and checked ours a month of so ago and all three had no battery life left. Makes me shudder to think what could have happened. xxx

  • Deer Baby

    I’m so sorry about your friend and colleague. What an awful thing. So glad you’re raising awareness. So many deaths could be prevented.

  • MrsLJHall

    Sorry to hear about your friend, thank you for sharing, always hard to do over a sad subject. I do have an ei alarm, I also got one after those poor children died on holiday. Carbon Monoxide is definitely one of those ‘it won’t happen to me’ things but it is so inexpensive to buy an alarm and the cost of a life is priceless. Hope you are ok x

  • Sam

    This is the second time in two days this has been brought to my attention – I’ll be getting one delivered as soon as…

  • Di@PowderRoomGraffiti

    Such a sad story. We got our carbon monoxide detector after the tragic death of a little girl at my daughter’s school. The family were living in a rented house at the time. It must have been hard to write about this, Liz – but it is SO important to highlight this silent killer.

  • Cara @SnoozeShade

    So sad and so avoidable.. definitely worth highlighting to others to spare them the experience.

  • Sandy Calico

    I’m so sorry to hear about your friend. We have smoke alarms and a carbon monoxide detector. I hope they’re never needed x

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  • sharon

    It is so sad to hear such a waste of life – we should all learn from it. I got my detectors from British Gas when they service the boiler and they last for 6 years and so worth having as there are no other warnings with CO2

  • sharon

    Also I’m a landlord and found out that renters can ask for detectors to be fitted by their landlords (I put them near all the Gas appliances in my properties) – It’s worth asking each time you move into new rented accomodation.

  • Yvonne

    Sorry to hear of this sad loss, my thoughts are with family and friends. I have a CO detector which we got through British Gas about 3 years ago when we moved, and it’s actually saved 3 lives in my house! We have an old boiler, which developed a fault about 18 months ago (it wasn’t a major fault, but was enough for CO to leak and trigger the alarm)