Governor Romney signs bill at Plymouth Press Conference
PLYMOUTH, Mass.- In support of the carbon monoxide (CO) legislation sponsored by state Senator Therese Murray (D-Plymouth) and signed into law today by Gov. Mitt Romney, officials from Kidde announced that the company is donating a total of 700 CO alarms to fire departments in Plymouth and Sandwich. Kidde is part of UTC Fire & Security, which is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).
The donations were announced today at two separate press conferences held by Sen. Murray, chief sponsor of Senate Bill 2152, which will require CO alarms in all residences in Massachusetts. Governor Romney attended the press conference in Plymouth and signed the bill into law.
Kidde President Bob Aquilino praises the efforts in Massachusetts.
“We commend Senator Murray for her leadership, and we appreciate the foresight of the Massachusetts General Court in enacting this legislation,” Aquilino said. “Governor Romney’s signing of this comprehensive piece of legislation into law underlines the importance of prevention when protecting residents from the dangers of CO poisoning. We appreciated the opportunity to work with Sen. Murray on this new law and to provide testimony on its merits, and we are proud to assist the fire departments and communities of Plymouth and Sandwich with these donations.”
With passage of the bill, named “Nicole’s Law” after a 7-year-old Plymouth girl who passed away due to CO poisoning in January 2005, the Bay State become the third New England state in six months to pass CO legislation. Connecticut and Vermont also passed variations.
The importance of this type of prevention was powerfully demonstrated last month in Vermont, when fire officials credited that state’s recent legislation with saving the lives of five people. In that case, the CO alarms had only recently been installed in response to Vermont’s new law. Discussing that incident, the Killington, Vt., fire chief said, “There is no question that the carbon monoxide poisoning would have been fatal to all five family members if it had not been for the carbon monoxide detector.”
According to Massachusetts State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan, firefighters in the Bay State responded to 2,739 CO-related calls in 2003, about 94 percent of which came from homes. Known as the “silent killer,” carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless and tasteless.
Poisonings attributed to CO were unusually high in New England last year as a result of heavy winter storms. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that improperly used generators, often during storm-related power outages, cause more than 15 percent of the annual CO poisoning deaths associated with fuel-powered appliances.
In addition to generators, the burning of fossil fuels via furnaces, fireplaces and space heaters is a major cause of CO. According to the 2000 Census, 70 percent of Massachusetts housing uses some form of fossil-fuel based heating.
For more information on carbon monoxide, visit http://www.knowaboutco.com.
About Kidde
As the world’s largest manufacturer of fire safety products, Kidde’s mission is to provide solutions that protect people and property from the effects of fire and its related hazards. For more than 80 years, industry leaders, the military, airlines and firefighters have relied on Kidde to deliver superior fire detection and suppression. Consumers will find that same advanced fire safety technology in Kidde’s residential and commercial smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers and other life safety products. Based in Mebane, N.C., Kidde is part of UTC Fire & Security, a leading global supplier of fire safety and security services serving government, industrial, commercial and retail industries with brand names such as Kidde, Chubb and others. UTC Fire & Security is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp., a diversified company that provides high technology products and services to the aerospace and commercial building industries worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.kiddeus.com.