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comments on CO alarm re article on August 16 2012
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    As a 79 years young Fire and Gas detection expert who has spent 59 of those years in the “Early Warning Detection Industry” trying to develop new and better products; as well as to Educate both the contractors and the consumers as to why these improvements are needed. Example: In 1972, the only printed reference to a “Safety Level” was in the NFPA Handbook where it told Fire Officials that “if the level of C O in a structure reached 2,000 PPM, it should be evacuated immediately”. That same year, my SAV-A-Life C O alarm activated its audible alarm warning at 200 PPM, 1/5th of one percent. Today we know that was still FAR too much C O for human safety; however, in 1972 Medical Science was still very low on the learning curve also.
    I am very concerned that the “Health” effects of C O Poisoning was not even mentioned and that the “Hear-Say” data that was quoted was far short of the more recent reports in the JAMA.
    However, the content of this opinion is not what bothers me the most.
    What really concerns me the most is the audience of readers to which this News Letter is circulated and the total OMISSION of the Largest potential cause of a Liability Judgments resulting from C O Poisoning has already been proven to originate.
    As is also true in Fire related Liability Judgments, the dollar amount of the judgment is usually FAR greater in the cases where one or more survivors faces a long lifetime of disability, pain and suffering in the many uncertain years ahead.
    CHRONIC LOW LEVEL CO POISONING is caused by extended exposures over a long period of time at C O PPM levels well below those at which the current UL-2034 and UL-2075 C O alarms / detectors are permitted. Chronic Low Level C O Poisoning has now been repeatedly confirmed to effect the fetus, the newborn, infants, young children, the elderly and the millions of Citizens already suffering from serious, dreaded diseases. All of these susceptible persons are clearly documented in Scientific Medical Studies at the UCLA Medical Center and other Leading Scientific Medical Institutions Worldwide. These Low Levels of C O  are not only below their current 70 PPM audible alarm warning limitation of UL-2034, but also well  below the current OSHA or NIOSH current workplace requirements.
    As is true with all “Out of Court” settlements, we never know the exact dollars settled upon; however, there is enough that were NOT settled out of Court to establish the trend.
    As an “Old Timer” with International exposure through my work on upgrading the World’s various C O Requirements Standards, [as much as the manufacturers would accept], and via the printed and television media, I often receive calls from Trial Lawyers about “Assisting or Educating them”.  In most of these cases the Law Firms do mention the amount of the judgment they will be seeking.
    The “Minimum” starting point for C O Poisoning cases was established several years ago in a case that was quite well publicized nationally because it involved a very large West Coast Utility Company and a New Mother of a handicapped newborn whose repeated exposure to unhealthy levels of C O in the place of her employment was documented by the” Field Inspection Reports” of the said Utility Company’s own inspector upon making a C O call to conduct an OSHA Regulation Compliance Inspection on three separate occasions. Each of these inspections were generated  at the insistence of the then pregnant Mother due to her repeated suffering from C O Symptoms..
    By the Inspector’s own reports, he had to verify that he had found and duly recorded C O levels of 31, 35 and 37 PPM during his three inspections. It was testified that the Inspector had even said that he would not want to work eight hours in that level of C O; however, since the OSHA Calif. Law at that time was 50 PPM, TWA over 8 hours, he could not MAKE her Company do anything about correcting the C O Problem.
    After expert medical testimony concluded, and a very brief deliberation, he Jury delivered a Judgment for 34 Million Dollars.  In the last six years, every Law Firm that has contacted me has indicated they were filing for between 30 and 62 Million Dollars.  I do not know what they finally settled for; however, the last four law firms that called me were seeking judgments against Security Alarm Contractors were all filing for over 30 million dollars and not a one of them involved a fatality.
    I do know that the Industries largest Home Security Company in the last year has changed its TV and radio Commercials to say that they “Protect you from HIGH Levels of C O”, not just as their previous Commercials had said “Protects you from C O Poisoning”.
    In closing I will simply say: “A Word to the Wise”.
JAMA Reports that ANNUALLY 30,000 to 50,000 Americans go to a hospital E R due to C O Symptoms ”, ….. how many of them could be your customers.
George E. Kerr
A Lifetime Dedicated to Health & Life Safety
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Greetings,
    I will just re-enforce my assent to the common appreciation for this forum.  There have just a few comments and questions regarding CO detection.
    I have serious reservations about CO monitoring.  Perhaps some can post solutions to the problem.  If we receive a CO alarm, what are we supposed to do, call down to the site?  If we get a response to the call I think we can work our way through that, but if we don’t get a response, does that mean that our client has been overcome and is inside?  What do I do now, call the fire department, and what will they do, break down the door to make sure no one is at home?  We live in a world that always wants to make paying the bill someone else’s problem, so who will end up paying for that repair if it turns out to be a false alarm.
    Going forward, I see an application market and opening for  Z-wave where we can unlock the door upon receipt of a CO alarm, but that doesn’t do anything for our legacy subscribers.
Tod Smith - President
Shadow Alarms Ltd.
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 code issue
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    Today landlords hire bunch of illegal aliens to renovate building. No codes, no standards, no AHJ, DEP, NEC. Nobody cares that there is only one smoke alarm and one CO detector in entire building and electrical wiring done poorly. Standards and regulations are to fine licensed contractors.
Dusan
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