Eight-year-old Nick Lambert walked into Aurora’s Fire Station on Sunday with a plan in his hand.
The plan was how Nick and his family would escape — from any room in their home — if there was a fire or emergency.
“If there is an emergency or a fire, you need to be prepared,” Nick said.
For his effort, the boy received a carbon-monoxide detector for his home. It was the first of 80 handed out to schoolchildren who came to the station with escape plans.
Denver Metro Safe Kids and the fire and security company Kidde donated the alarms.
It all began a month ago when the department’s Lt. Diane Schroeder spoke to Arkansas Elementary School third-graders about carbon- monoxide poisoning.
“We are trying not to just focus on fire prevention, but to have an all encompassing approach to fire safety, carbon monoxide, injury prevention,” Schroeder said.
The number of emergency calls for carbon-monoxide leaks tends to increase during the winter. As temperatures continue to drop, this is a good time to make sure your family is safe, Schroeder said.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that can be created by problems such as water heater or furnace malfunctions.
A detector is the best protection against poisoning, Schroeder said.
After two high-profile incidents in 2008, the state legislature enacted The Lofgren and Johnson Families Carbon Monoxide Safety Act in March.
The law requires homes and rental properties that use fuel-fired heaters or appliances, have fireplaces or are attached to a garage to have carbon- monoxide detectors.
It is too early to tell if the new law will help to decrease the number of 911 calls about carbon-monoxide leaks, Schroeder said.
On her visit to the Arkansas Elementary School, Schroeder handed out blank escape plans and asked the children to fill them out with their families.
Sunday, the families and the firefighters reviewed the plans, alarms were handed out and and tours of the station and a firetruck were given.
“Now what happens if you cannot get out of the window?” Schroeder asked 7-year-old Lyndsee Reed.
“I’d go the the door,” Lyndsee said.
Lyndsee said that she feels safer now that her family has a plan. Her mother, Shawn, said she has thought about getting a detector and feels better now that her family has one.
“I think it is a really good thing they are doing to help families know what to do in an emergency,” 9-year-old Hope Griffin said.
Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1638 or jsteffen@denverpost.com
