The Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF) will host a webinar on February 6, 2025, to present recent research on carbon monoxide (CO) detection and alarm systems.
The event will cover findings from two studies: a nationwide survey assessing CO alarm presence and functionality in US households and a literature review on CO detection thresholds.
Experts will discuss current knowledge gaps and potential implications for public safety.
Click here to register for the webinar.
In September 2024, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released the results of a study on the presence and functionality of smoke and CO alarms in households across the country.
The Survey on Use and Functionality of Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms (SCOA) in Households included in-home interviews with 1,060 households conducted between 2019 and 2024.
The survey found that while 90% of respondents viewed smoke alarms as “extremely necessary,” only 66% expressed the same opinion about CO alarms.
Additionally, 26% of participants stated they knew “nothing at all” about CO alarms, and only 55% reported having at least one installed.
The webinar will examine these findings and their potential impact on CO safety awareness and alarm adoption.
The FPRF is conducting a separate research effort to assess existing studies on CO exposure risks and detection thresholds.
This review aims to identify gaps in understanding how CO affects different populations and to provide recommendations for further research.
Historically, CO poisoning symptoms have been linked to carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels in the blood.
However, recent studies question the validity of this correlation.
The webinar will present the latest research on this topic and discuss possible implications for safety regulations and alarm performance standards.
The webinar will feature presentations from experts representing the FPRF, CPSC, and REM Risk Consultants.
Jacqueline Wilmot, research project manager at the FPRF, will outline the organization’s research initiatives.
Arthur Lee, senior electrical engineer at the CPSC, will present findings from the SCOA survey.
Dr. Michael Larrañaga and Heather Genuise from REM Risk Consultants will contribute to the discussion on CO safety research.
The webinar will last 90 minutes and begin at 12:30 PM Eastern Standard Time on February 6, 2025.
The Fire Protection Research Foundation will host a webinar on February 6, 2025, to present research on carbon monoxide detection and alarms.
The event will cover findings from a US Consumer Product Safety Commission survey on household CO alarms and a literature review on CO exposure risks.
The survey, conducted between 2019 and 2024, found that while 90% of respondents considered smoke alarms “extremely necessary,” only 66% said the same about CO alarms.
The study also found that 26% of respondents knew “nothing at all” about CO alarms, and only 55% reported having one.
A separate FPRF study is evaluating CO exposure thresholds and detection standards.
Experts from the FPRF, CPSC, and REM Risk Consultants will present their findings during the 90-minute webinar, scheduled for 12:30 PM Eastern Standard Time.
