Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 25, 2012
Contact: media@nycha.nyc.gov, (212) 306-3322

NYCHA Replaces Thousands of Alarms as Carbon Monoxide Alarm Replacement Law Goes into Effect

Increased End-of-Life Alert Calls from NYC-Area Illustrate Need to Replace Carbon Monoxide Alarms to comply with Local Law 75-2011

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) begins installing new units in its more than 170,000 residences as a new law requiring the replacement of millions of expired carbon monoxide (CO) alarms in New York City goes into effect Wednesday, April 25, 2012. NYCHA has received assistance from the company Kidde, which has donated 60,000 CO alarms over a three year period to help NYCHA in its replacement efforts. Kidde is a leading manufacturer of carbon monoxide alarms and other fire safety products

“Carbon monoxide alarms alert you and your family when there are dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in your home. Most homes and residential buildings in New York City are required by law to have carbon monoxide detectors installed near all sleeping areas,” explained NYCHA Chairman John B. Rhea. “We know and understand the importance of carbon monoxide alarms and encourage all property owners to check their alarms to ensure compliance with the new law, and to help keep their tenants safe.”

Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed Local Law 75-2011 in late December 2011 as an extension of the city’s 2004 CO alarm requirement. Because CO alarms have a lifespan of approximately seven years, any unit installed in compliance with the 2004 law may have expired and may need to be replaced. This includes CO alarms installed in single-, two- and multi-family houses, apartments, condos, dormitories, and hotel rooms. The replacement alarms must meet the latest edition of UL 2034 – the third-party standard for CO alarms – which requires an audible “end of life” signal to alert residents of an alarm’s expiration.

Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in America, killing more than 400 people and hospitalizing another 20,000 each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A year-round threat for families with malfunctioning or improperly vented fossil fuel-burning appliances such as boilers, hot water heaters, and clothes dryers, other common household sources include car exhaust, portable generators and grills. The only safe way to detect this silent killer is with a CO alarm.

“Since last fall, about half of all CO-related inquiries to Kidde’s customer hotline have been in regard to the “end of life” alert, which sounds in our alarms approximately seven years after initial power. Nearly 20 percent of those calls have been from residents in the New York metropolitan area,” said Jim Ward, president, Kidde Residential and Commercial. “This new law addresses a critical life safety need for alarm replacement and ensures the continued protection of NYC residents and visitors against this silent killer.”

Homeowners should have their furnaces and fireplaces inspected annually, and never use grills or un-vented gasoline or kerosene space heaters or generators inside the home. Safety experts recommend installing CO alarms on every level of the home and in sleeping areas. CO alarms range in price from less than $20 to more than $40, depending on features, and are available at home improvement retailers.

For more information on New York City’s law, CO safety and how to protect your family, visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/homeowners/carbon_monoxide.shtml or www.NYSafeHomes.org.

he New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is committed to increasing opportunities for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers by providing safe, affordable housing and facilitating access to social and community services. More than 400,000 New Yorkers reside in NYCHA’s 334 public housing developments around the five boroughs, and another 235,000 receive subsidized rental assistance in private homes through the NYCHA-administered Section 8 Leased Housing Program. To fulfill its vital mission and even better serve residents while facing dramatic reductions in traditional government funding, NYCHA is developing new financing options and building innovative partnerships across the public, private, and non-profit sectors. These strategies are helping NYCHA to address many key challenges, from preserving aging housing stock through timely maintenance and modernization of developments, to increasing resident access to a multitude of community, educational and recreational programs, as well as job readiness and training initiatives.

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 90 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, NC, Kidde is part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp., a leading provider to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide. For more information, visit Kidde website.