150 C.O Detectors Donated to the Woodstock Fire Department

Friday, 3 November 2017 14:53

Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman partnered with IBC and the Hawkins Gignac Foundation to make the donation.

WOODSTOCK - The Woodstock Fire Department was given 150 Carbon Monoxide Detectors today.

Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman partnered with the Insurance Bureau of Canada and the Hawkins Gignac Foundation to make the donation. Woodstock Fire Chief Jeff Slager says the carbon monoxide detectors will be put to good use.

"We have a large supply of CO alarms coming into our fire department that allow us to be able to go door to door and when we are doing our inspection programs, to be able to provide alarms those who maybe aren't protected, don't have the appropriate setups or don't have the means to be able to protect themselves from Carbon Monoxide."

He adds they really appreciate the donation from IBC.

"It is through donations such as these made by the Insurance Bureau of Canada and the Hawkins-Gignac Foundation that enable the us to continue our program goals of stopping the silent killer. On-going education of the risks associated with carbon monoxide, and the ability to provide alarms to those who are not protected, greatly reduces the chances of our Community facing any more tragedies associated with this deadly gas."

Carbon Monoxide Detectors are mandatory in Ontario after a private members bill from Hardeman was passed. The bill was made after a police officer from Woodstock Laurie Hawkins and her family died from carbon monoxide poisoning at their home the Friendly City. Hardeman says the CO detectors save lives.

"Carbon monoxide is often referred to as the silent killer, as you cannot see it, smell it, or taste it. The only way we can protect ourselves and our families is to install carbon monoxide detectors in our homes and speak up about the importance of having these alarms to those around us."

John Gignac, a retired veteran of the Brantford Fire Department and Executive Director of the Hawkins-Gignac Foundation for C O Education, was in Woodstock today for the announcement. Gignac started the foundation after the death of his niece OPP Constable Laurie Hawkins and her family in Woodstock. The family died in December 2008 when a clogged vent from their gas fireplace forced deadly carbon monoxide back into their home. Gignac says he was honoured to be in Woodstock again today.

"It is especially meaningful being in Woodstock today. It's here in Woodstock where Laurie, Richard and the children lived life to the fullest before this senseless accident took them away from us. A carbon monoxide alarm would have alerted them to the poisonous gas in their home and would have saved their lives. We can't change the past and bring them back, but we can change the future by ensuring that no more lives are taken by something so preventable. Please, help me honour Laurie’s legacy by installing a carbon monoxide alarm in your home today. Laurie spent her entire career in public safety and I know that she would want her story remembered to make sure that what happened to her family never happens to another."