Kidde's Efforts Result in Big Win in California
On May 7, Kidde Residential & Commercial (Kidde R&C) earned a huge victory when California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed SB 183 into law, making it the 27th state to require the installation of residential carbon monoxide (CO) alarms.
The law calls for CO alarms to be installed in existing residential dwellings that have fuel-burning appliances, a fireplace or an attached garage. It will go into effect July 2011 for single-family homes and January 2013 for multi-family residences. California’s building code was amended last year to mandate CO alarms in new construction beginning January 2011.
Governor Schwarzenegger’s signature is the culmination of more than four years of work by Kidde R&C, the bill’s sponsor, Senator Alan Lowenthal, and a coalition of supporters and nonprofit partners. Senator Lowenthal, along with the Long Beach Fire Department, gave away 100 Kidde CO alarms during a press event announcing the bill’s passage.
“We owe a huge thanks to the many nonprofit organizations and others who came on board to help get SB 183 passed,” said Tom Sri, Government Affairs Manager for Kidde R&C. “Without the dedication and commitment of firefighters, children’s health and safety advocates, doctors, CO survivors and the families of CO victims, our efforts would not have been successful.”
Similar legislation, first passed by the legislature in 2008, was vetoed by the governor on technical merits. Kidde R&C immediately went to work devising a strategy to get SB 183 passed and signed in the next session. The company reached out to numerous safety and health organizations to join the effort and held meetings with the governor’s staff and legislators to work through any opposition. Meanwhile the team implemented a public relations campaign to raise awareness and build support through letters to the editor and other tactics.
“This law will help to protect millions of families from a silent killer, and I’m very proud of the team’s perseverance to get it passed,” said Jim Ward, General Manager for Kidde R&C. “I’m confident that they will bring the same level of drive and commitment to the next phase as we begin to execute against the opportunity provided by this new law.”
Census data shows that 74 percent of California housing uses some form of fossil fuel-burning heat, such as gas, fuel oil, or kerosene, which can generate carbon monoxide. Between 2001 and 2006, 232 people in California died of unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning. The California Air Resources Board estimates that CO poisoning accounts for up to 700 avoidable emergency room visits and hospitalizations annually.
For more information, visit www.kidde.com.
On May 7, Kidde Residential & Commercial (Kidde R&C) earned a huge victory when California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed SB 183 into law, making it the 27th state to require the installation of residential carbon monoxide (CO) alarms.
The law calls for CO alarms to be installed in existing residential dwellings that have fuel-burning appliances, a fireplace or an attached garage. It will go into effect July 2011 for single-family homes and January 2013 for multi-family residences. California’s building code was amended last year to mandate CO alarms in new construction beginning January 2011.
Governor Schwarzenegger’s signature is the culmination of more than four years of work by Kidde R&C, the bill’s sponsor, Senator Alan Lowenthal, and a coalition of supporters and nonprofit partners. Senator Lowenthal, along with the Long Beach Fire Department, gave away 100 Kidde CO alarms during a press event announcing the bill’s passage.
“We owe a huge thanks to the many nonprofit organizations and others who came on board to help get SB 183 passed,” said Tom Sri, Government Affairs Manager for Kidde R&C. “Without the dedication and commitment of firefighters, children’s health and safety advocates, doctors, CO survivors and the families of CO victims, our efforts would not have been successful.”
Similar legislation, first passed by the legislature in 2008, was vetoed by the governor on technical merits. Kidde R&C immediately went to work devising a strategy to get SB 183 passed and signed in the next session. The company reached out to numerous safety and health organizations to join the effort and held meetings with the governor’s staff and legislators to work through any opposition. Meanwhile the team implemented a public relations campaign to raise awareness and build support through letters to the editor and other tactics.
“This law will help to protect millions of families from a silent killer, and I’m very proud of the team’s perseverance to get it passed,” said Jim Ward, General Manager for Kidde R&C. “I’m confident that they will bring the same level of drive and commitment to the next phase as we begin to execute against the opportunity provided by this new law.”
Census data shows that 74 percent of California housing uses some form of fossil fuel-burning heat, such as gas, fuel oil, or kerosene, which can generate carbon monoxide. Between 2001 and 2006, 232 people in California died of unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning. The California Air Resources Board estimates that CO poisoning accounts for up to 700 avoidable emergency room visits and hospitalizations annually.
For more information, visit www.kidde.com.
