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OUR VIEW: Here are two simple ways to stay safer this holiday season

We know that this is the time of good cheer and positive vibes, but we’re going to cut into that for a moment to pass along a couple of useful warnings on timely topics. The first warning comes from Chief Supt.
carbon monoxide detector
A carbon monoxide detector is a small purchase, but an essential part of staying safe.

We know that this is the time of good cheer and positive vibes, but we’re going to cut into that for a moment to pass along a couple of useful warnings on timely topics.

The first warning comes from Chief Supt. Deanne Burleigh, the top cop at the Burnaby RCMP detachment.

It’s about replica guns and the consequences of flashing one around in public.

Last Wednesday, RCMP responded to reports of a road-rage incident during which a gun had reportedly been used in a threatening manner towards a driver. The incident was at 10th Avenue and Kingsway, police said, and officers located the suspect’s vehicle in Vancouver.

After conducting a “high-risk arrest” of the suspect, officers found a replica firearm in the vehicle, police said.

In October, local Mounties responded to reports of a group of youths drinking alcohol at Edmonds Park. Upon arrival, they spotted a handgun on the ground, took immediate action and arrested two of the youths for possession of a firearm.

The weapon turned out to be a BB gun.

“I want the public to know calls involving firearms will result in a considerable police response,” Burleigh said in the release. “It can be a BB gun or a replica, our police officers will treat them as real until they can prove they’re not.”

Burleigh went on to say “imitation firearms are not toys” and urged parents not to buy them as gifts. 

 

GET A DETECTOR

The second warning is from a senior paramedic, who is encouraging homeowners to buy carbon monoxide detectors and inspect their appliances following a spike in recent poisonings.

Leon Baranowski, paramedic practice leader with B.C. Emergency Health Services, says the colourless and odourless gas can be emitted from fuels including wood, gasoline, coal and propane when they don’t burn completely.

“At this time of year, as people start to turn on their water heaters, their gas appliances, fireplaces and panel heaters in unventilated spaces, carbon monoxide has the potential to build up in that environment. Over time, that can start to overcome patients and affect them,” Baranowski said.

Last week, 13 people with carbon monoxide poisoning were taken to hospital from an office building in Vancouver.

There were at least another three cases on the Lower Mainland in the past week, said Emergency Health Services communications officer Shannon Miller.

Paramedics in the province respond to about 100 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning over the course of the year, she said.

Baranowski said patients at the lower end of the spectrum can present cold and flu-like symptoms, including a dull headache, weakness, dizziness, nausea and vomiting.

Carbon monoxide detectors are between $50 and $100 to purchase, and when the alarm sounds, that means it’s time to get out of the building quickly.

So there, two warnings about simple ways you can prevent bad stuff from happening.